


Hello darkness my old friend

by sunnysideup



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-05-07
Updated: 2012-05-12
Packaged: 2017-11-05 00:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/399875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnysideup/pseuds/sunnysideup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sinister case goes from bad to worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a team fic. It's quite dark and grim in parts. Not finished yet but have restarted and will update regularly. Please note there is mention of the death of an original character who is a child at the end of this chapter.

His first thought is to curse the alcohol that he no doubt consumed in ridiculous quantities the night before. His second thought is that it's cold. His third thought is that he's very uncomfortable. His fourth thought is that it's dark and his final thought is that he's not drunk at all and that it hurts way too much to be thinking at all. His eyes shut.

* * *

His mouth is completely dry. That's the first thing he notices. The second thing he notices that he is tied to a chair by his arms and his legs. And in case this evening couldn't get any shittier, also by a thick wire that's around his neck and linked to some electrical looking scary thing. What the hell did he and Steve walk into? He hears footsteps and takes a deep breath.

* * *

The second time he wakes, his head is still thumping. And it's still cold. Before he can stop it, he coughs and it's pretty painful actually. He's on the floor and it's a cold floor. He doesn't think it's stone but as he tries to move his head to find out what it's like, the panic rises, he can't see. He tries to move his hands so he can check for head injuries but he's handcuffed. His feet are secured too. He tries to reassure himself that there's a simple explanation as to his apparent blindness, all the same he wished he could work out what's going on and quick. He coughs again and the pain in his head increases along with a sharp pain in his chest. He curses slightly. How the hell did he get into this mess? How the hell did they-, wait a minute, he wasn't alone. 'Danny?' the sound he makes is meant to be a shout but it's a croak and he collapses coughing again. He swallows and tries again 'DANNY!'. No response. In fact there's no sound anywhere. And with that and the fact that he's blind he shudders.

* * *

'Nooooooooooooo! Goddamit, stop'. This all got so old a couple of hours ago. At least he thinks it's a couple of hours ago. He's lost all track of time. Surprisingly they've not yet used the crude device attached to his neck. He's not sure whether he should be relieved about this or apprehensive as the methods they're using seem to be getting worse and maybe this is their piece de resistance. They're currently using a hammer to break every finger which is bad enough really. Bastard number 1 as he's affectionately taken to calling the bad guy currently wielding the hammer is humming a little tune 'Eenie meenie minie mo' as he chooses which finger to break next. Finally after 5 verses, the guy's finished. For now.

The worst part about all this is that the guy humming this tune is the first thing he's heard in hours except for his own cries and shouts. And the people doing this to him are wearing masks so he can't even tell who they are, hell he doesn't know whether they're male or female. It's all too creepy. And they're very much ones for psychological torture as the damage they've done to Danny he knows is just superficial, but the fear, well the fear they're instilling, it's pretty big and Danny just doesn't scare easily. Yeah keep telling yourself that you idiot he says to himself. There's a harsh laugh in the background and he realises belatedly he said it out loud. Great, now he's talking to himself. First sign of madness, Steve would sa-. Hang on, Steve. Why he's not thought of him before and more importantly where the hell is he?

'Hey doofus' he shouts, not aimed at any of the figures in the room with him in particular, just in general. They turn around. And he can't help it but the way they move makes him nervous. All measured movement and apparent calm. 'Where's McGarrett?' No response so he tries again 'Steve McGarrett? You know, tall dark, pain in the ass?' Still nothing. 'Oh come on guys, a little bit of conversation wouldn't kill ya'.

The figures turn toward each other and the tallest one nods. Maybe he's finally getting somewhere. There's a sound from beside him though and he doesn't pick it up until it's too late. The hammer hits him on the head and the lights go out.

* * *

He figures out he's not blind purely by accident. He's making a clumsy effort to move around the room he's in, testing the surfaces of the wall with the fingers of his increasingly numb hands. Damn those handcuffs are on tight. At the same time, he's perfected kicking every aspect of the wall and floor with his feet in case of any give though he realises, painfully, that his shoes have been removed when he nearly breaks his toes with the force of the first kick. He's about 10 minutes in when his feet connect with a container of some sort and one toe gets wet. The thought of water reminds him of how thirsty he is so he shuffles over and searches for the container with his hands finally touching it. His grip's somewhat precarious though and in his eagerness to lift it up, he half drops it. 'Shit! Idiot' he scolds. More haste, less speed he tells himself. He lifts it up again with slightly more success this time. As he lifts it up towards his mouth and tips his head back, one hand can't take the weight any more and he splutters as the container slips from his fingers and hits him on the head tipping water all over his face. That didn't go so well. And he slumps back onto the floor.

Through the muddle of his brain though he realises he didn't blink when the water went into his eyes and quickly he lifts one hand up and moves a finger gently over his eyebrow and brings it downwards, all the while wondering why on earth he didn't think of this before, he could cry with relief when he touches the square of tape that covers his eyelid and he moves his finger to the other eye and finds the same. He takes a deep breath, remembering what he said to Grace once when Danny was trying to talk her into removing the plaster on her arm one time. 'Remove it quick, hurts less then Gracie'. Such a liar. He swears as he tries to remove the tape. His stupid numb fingers not helping. Thankfully the moisture from the water has loosened them a little but they're glued on fast so he tries to moisten the fingers on both hands with his tongue and finally after five more minutes, they're removed and he blinks and looks around him. It's a medium sized room with chains on the wall and there's a tiny window which accounts for the small burst of light. There aren't bars on the window but it's that small no one would get through anyway so there wouldn't be a need.

He blows out a breath and then sees them in the corner and surely it's a trap but well Steve's never been one to look a chance of escape in the mouth. There are keys and he shuffles over and sure enough the third key he tries opens the handcuffs and he rubs his poor wrists for about 10 seconds before with the first key he manages to unlock the chain that's been securing this feet together. One key left and one lock to open. He stops and looks around him. There's nothing that indicates a camera could be hidden in here, maybe his captors are just that stupid. He slowly rises to his feet and tests his ability to move, his limbs are tired and weak from lack of use though it's probably only been a matter of hours. Satisfied that no matter how weak he feels, he could outrun Usain Bolt if he needed to, he turns, tries the second key and there's a small click as it opens. He's barely out the door when he hears it. Hands clapping together, firstly it just sounds like one pair of hands and then there's another pair followed by another until he loses count, they have no faces, just masks and suddenly they laugh and in the five seconds before he's knocked out cold, he feels afraid.

* * *

Officer Helen Surtees sighs as she finishes another malasada. That's 3 for today. No wonder she's filling out a little lately. She could definitely do with some kind of chase today and not one firmly rooted to the passenger seat. She sneaks a look at her partner next to her, Sergeant Rick Hirata. Three days she's been working alongside him and still she can barely raise more than a grunt from her partner when there's nothing to do.

He turns the ignition on and begins to drive and so she attempts again to get him to speak 'So what's the best ever case you've been involved in, huh Sarge?'.

He smiles across at her. Apparently she's hit the right nerve and he goes to speak when the radio comes on. The dispatcher sounding more urgent even than usual. 'All units, be on the lookout for a blue Chevy Silverado pick up truck – registered to Commander McGarrett of Five 0. Be advised that Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams are missing'.

Surtees hasn't met either man in her time with the HPD but she's certainly heard about McGarrett at least.

'Cowboys, god knows what they've been up to this time' She starts at the sound of Sergeant Hirata's voice.

'Not a fan?' she asks.

He smirks. 'Not exactly, doesn't mean I want anything to happen to them though, now keep a look out'. He instructs her.

It's nearly an hour later and there's been plenty of radio traffic but still no sign of the truck or the men. They're driving past a car repair shop when she shrieks. 'Stop the car' and points across. There's tarpaulin on the floor next to it as though it's just been removed and it's too good to be true really that either McGarrett brought it in and he's just been off the radar by accident or that some dumb bad guy has taken it in for repair but it's not a chance she's willing to take. She's off and out the car and across the road holding up her badge in the time it takes Hirata to call it in.

'I wanna know where you got that truck, who dropped it in and why NOW'. The mechanic about to look over the car is actually just a kid.

'A guy brought it in twenty minutes ago said we could have it for scrap, boss got suspicious so the guy said to fix the tyres and he'd be back tomorrow' The kid looks terrified.

'Okay, could you tell me what this person looked like?' Surtees asks as Hirata moves to stand next to her.

'He can't, and I'm not sure that I can tell you much more' comes a voice from behind them. 'Manny Johnson' he holds out his hand. 'I got CCTV since we had a robbery several months back, I can show you if you like'. Hirata follows Johnson into his office while Surtees indicates to the truck to the kid 'I'm gonna take a look inside, okay' He still looks terrified so she touches him reassuringly on the shoulder 'You're not in trouble, don't worry'.

She's almost done searching in the car when she notices at the rear of the car there's a blanket which looks as though as there's something underneath. There's a faint copper type smell as she moves towards it, as she lifts it two things compete for her attention, the body of a small child and placed on her torso, two badges belonging to Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams.

* * *

The man opens the hatch and stares at the body inside. He's just come from the other room and all is secure again. He's got a feeling this time will be better than any other. He stares at the blond man on the floor for almost an hour before he begins to stir and he smiles and clicks his fingers. Another figure approaches and he whispers. 'Begin'.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings etc., as before. No specific spoilers but Lori isn't used at the moment as she's on vacation.

_**36 hours before.** _

'So, what's for dessert then?' Catherine Rollins grins and yawns contentedly then rolls onto her side slowly tracing her fingers up and down Steve McGarrett's chest.

Steve laughs and shuts his eyes in pleasure. 'I can think of a couple of things, none of them involving food'. He opens his eyes and waggles his eyebrows. She mock slaps him.

'I'm not kidding Steve, I'm starving'. She removes her hand and sits up. Mock indignation writ large all over her face.

'Me too'. The eyebrows again.

Rolling her eyes, she reaches behind her and throws the pillow at his head. He's about ready to straddle her when they hear it.

'Any chance you can ignore it?' she asks even as she leans over to the side table to pick up the cell and pass it to Steve.

The look says it all as he kisses her lightly, takes the phone and simply says 'McGarrett'.

** Anuhea Street, Wilhelmina Rise, Honolulu **

Steve pulls up in his truck half an hour later. As he opens the door and exits the truck, Chin Ho Kelly spots him and waves him over.

'Hey Chin, what's going on?' he asks taking in the people standing behind the police tape, memorising faces just in case.

'Steve, it's bad'. Chin's face is grim. 'Another family declared missing, The Hills, James, Rebecca and their three children Dom, Sophia and Bobby. The neighbour over there, Jane Hernandez reported it' he points towards Kono who's talking to a blonde woman. 'She picks up two of the kids every morning to take them to middle school, went this morning same time, no answer, so she went around back, the only sign of trouble was the family dog asleep, couldn't wake it up'.

Steve rubs his face. 'Another family? The dog drugged, like the other family? That's two in 1 week missing, what the hell's going on Chin?'.

'No idea brah, no ransom note, no sign of forced entry or violence inside, beats me how they do it'.

'Ok, Danny inside?'. Steve indicates towards the house.

'Yeah, just heading back in there myself' As they enter the house, Steve feels exactly the same feeling he had as he walked through the Benet household 6 days before. As he walks into the lounge, it's untouched. The TV is off but there's signs of life everywhere, a school book left open with a pen next to it, games console left on and as he moves toward the kitchen, the dishwasher is open but full of plates and cutlery.

'Any clues yet?' He asks Chin with more optimism than he actually feels.

'Not a thing yet, CSI guys are trying but nothing yet, not one neighbour has come forward to say they heard any cars or struggle, it's like they went out shopping and just never came home'. Chin's despair mirrors his own.

'Comes to something when the only damn clue we may get comes from a drugged family pet' Steve turns at the new voice, Danny.

'This blows, guys, how can two families be taken and no one sees or hears a thing?' he pauses 'the girl, Sophia, she's Gracie's age, I mean what the hell?'

'We'll find out, we'll make it our business to find out, okay Danny?' Steve reaches out an arm to Danny's shoulder and squeezes it reassuringly.

'Thank you, I know and I know I'm being cranky, this just freaks me out so much, and to have heard nothing about what might've happened to the Benet's. I got a really bad feeling about this'. Danny's face matches the tone of his voice. The frustration and though he knows he shouldn't feel it, he's a cop after all, there's fear for what could happen next and that it won't get any better before it gets a whole lot worse.

'What's this about the family pet and clues?' Chin asks. 'We got anything at all?'

Danny shrugs. 'Just a hope more than anything at the moment, whoever took the Hills made sure there'd be no clues left behind or at least none immediately you can see, the CSI guys say the only hope may be it's something rare that the dog was drugged with and we can trace it back that way, it's a dim hope though, probably just aspirin or some sleeping tablet'.

'Morning boss' Kono joins them, not stopping she moves straight onto what she knows is the priority 'According to the neighbour, since the family moved in 18 months ago, they're a big part of the community, Dom's in the football team, Sophia and Bobby are always at birthday parties and according to Mrs Hernandez, the parents have no worries, money or otherwise and no enemies, that's all' she takes a breath. 'When she arrived this morning, she saw nothing suspicious until she found the family pet and called 911'.

'That's it?' Steve asks. Kono nods in response. 'Sorry boss'.

'It's okay, we've done okay with less information before, the Hills have family on the Island?' he asks.

'Chin responds first. 'Yeah, a brother, Richie Hills, a unit's gone up there from HPD'.

Steve nods 'Ok, I want background checks on the Hills including the brother, I want us to check for links between this family and the Benet's, same schools, employers, banks, whatever, I want checks on CCTV in the area and any sign of activity on the bank accounts in the last few months, Danny and I will go visit Richie Hills, Kono, do the background checks, Chin, ask around, talk to the neighbours' Steve looks around at his team and his gaze rests on Danny's. 'We won't give up till we get these families back okay?'

They nod.

* * *

**Present**

Consciousness returns slowly and in patches to Danny. The overwhelming feelings during those patches are nausea and pain. Not unfamiliar bedfellows to him during his time in Hawaii but normally the nausea's as a result of god damn pineapples or Steve's driving and the pain is usually in his neck, again from Steve.

He raises one hand up to check for blood but the movement causes him to cry out in pain. Oh yeah that's right, Bastard number 1 broke every finger. He cradles his hand with the other and gently moves it closer to his body.

Carefully, he raises his sore head to look around the room. The light's beginning to fade but he can make out an area that could pass for a bed if you were a rat, and there's a bucket which stinks, in fact the whole room stinks. There's a small window with bars on it and the door which looks to be made of steel has a grill on it which is closed right now but he has a feeling when it's open is used only to dole out more discomfort.

To his surprise, he's not restrained, he wonders if it's a glimmer of compassion perhaps given his injured hand. He then thinks back to what these people are capable of and dismisses it as quickly as it became a thought.

He moves to a sitting position and from there slowly and carefully stands up and heads to the wall, with his good hand, he knocks on it 'Steve, Steve'. He whispers at first before his voice rises 'McGarrett, y'hear me?'.

Nothing. If he ever gets out of here, he thinks he'll say that the worst thing about this is the complete silence, it's the not knowing what's going on and the silence too. He's never been one for silence. He figures it's all part of the game. And he wonders whether if the Benet's and the Hills are here, if they're doing it to them, to Steve too but his thought dwell on the children.

Yeah, it's definitely part of their captor's game plan and so rather than keeping silent, he does what he does best, and he talks. To the wall, to anyone, he just doesn't care.

**Manny's repair shop, Diamond Head.**

Kono stares at the back seat of Steve's pick up truck, when she hears the flash of a camera and apologises to the CSI and moves out the way. She looks around her. There's a palpable sense of shock surrounding everyone right now who's here, but interspersed with that there's such a professionalism and sense of urgency that it's almost as if Steve is right here.

She turns around and sees Chin speaking to the officers who called in the discovery of Steve's truck. To her left and just behind her, Max Bergman, the Medical Examiner is taking final notes and shots of Lauren Benet's body where it was found.

The bespectacled man nods at the men beside him who move the child's body into a bag and take her away so she can be examined further. He picks himself up and on seeing Kono moves over to her.

'In Commander McGarrett's absence, I assume I'm to speak to you or Detective Kelly?'.

'Sure Max, yeah, talk to me or Chin' she nods over at her cousin. 'Any obvious cause of death?'

'Nothing immediately obvious, no sign of sexual assault or strangulation or anything like that, to all intents and purposes, it looks like she died in her sleep' he pauses seemingly hesitant 'She was 9 years old?'.

Kono simply nods. Max Bergman coughs slightly. 'It's very dusty in here, I'd better get back to the lab, I'll let you know as soon as I have a cause of death'.

She thanks him and shaking her head moves across to join her cousin who's just finished talking to Surtees and Hirata.

'Anything?' she asks.

'Not a thing, the CCTV wasn't working, the owner didn't know and the kid who originally accepted, the job can't remember a thing' Chin's expression is grim 'We have no clues at all, cuz, Steve and Danny may as well be in Timbuktu for all the information we have to go on, Max have anything yet regarding the child?'

'Not a thing, what are we gonna do Chin? I mean, really?'

'We don't give up that quickly, cuz, that's what happens first, next we hope there's a bit of evidence in Steve's truck and if not we go back over the evidence, and we keep up the pressure till we get everyone back' He rests his hand on Kono's shoulder and for a moment Kono finds herself thinking back to Steve just over a day ago reassuring Danny in the same way. She smiles but can't keep the shudder away.

* * *

_**35 hours before – en route to Richie Hills' residence in Pearl City** _

Steve looks across at Danny for the 5th time in 3 minutes. He knows as he's counted it and he's guessing Danny's counted too. He looks ready to blow at any minute. There's a slap of the dashboard and he braces himself. Here it comes.

'She didn't let me speak to her last night, you know my wonderful ex wife, she just refused to let me speak to her, 1 minute' he gestures with 1 finger in emphasis '1 minute late to phone and she didn't let me speak to her, I promised to tell her the name of the eighth dwarf as well'.

If he notices Steve's expression, he chooses to ignore it.

'I don't get to speak to my baby and then the next thing I have to come here to deal with five people including one child the same age as my baby and I couldn't speak to her'. As quickly as he's started he's run out of steam.

'I'm sorry Danny, why don't you give her a call when she's back home from school so you can be sure she'll still be up?'

'Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea' he glances across. 'You can tell Cat's home, you've gone all sensitive on me'. He smiles softly. 'I like it'.

'Shut up, now come on, the eighth dwarf, seriously Danno?'

'Yeah, aneurysm face dwarf, now shut up and drive'.

* * *

**Present**

His awakening is somewhat more rude than really it need be. The hands that are slapping his face constantly don't let up even when he opens his eyes wide and it's obvious to anyone he's awake.

He flinches as the hand goes to strike again. He hates himself for the flinch, and thinks to rule number whatever it was in the Navy Seal handbook. Don't show weakness. He learns though that what he hates more is the cruel soft laughter from those in the room with him.

What feels like an hour but is actually just 10 minutes passes by with no sound and no action from anyone. Just the feeling Steve has of intense pain and disorientation from the head injury he originally incurred which was worsened earlier in his escape attempt. Thing is they may know from his badge that he's the leader of the task force but surely they don't know he's an ex Navy Seal as if they did, they'd know they're onto a loser if they think they're going to outpscych Steve McGarrett.

That's the plan anyway. And though Steve would be lying if he said he didn't find this even vaguely intimidating, if it's the silence game of intimidation they're going for, they picked the wrong adversary.

He's staring dead ahead at a point in the wall when he notices from the corner of his eye what to most would be an imperceptible nod from the man who had woken him. Steve shifts slightly in his chair, unsure of what to expect next, half of him is hoping it's Danny but not if it means they're going to harm him though at least it would be proof he's alive.

The door opens and the sob that follows immediately definitely isn't Danny but the identity of the sobbing person soon becomes clear and all of a sudden, nausea joins the pain.

It's Rebecca Hills. And she's sobbing. She's just wearing a vest and underwear and she's shivering and Steve is trying furiously to send calming and reassuring vibes across to her, all the while knowing that she can probably read the lie that comes with it. As there's nothing he can do to prevent what he fears will happen next.

He hears someone begging and shouting, and he's not surprised to hear the female voice but he is surprised to hear his voice. He's not surprised when he hears the shot, he is surprised when he cries.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rather grim to say the least in one particular place and a little bit more overall. Quite a bit of swearing too. Sorry.

Rebecca Hills lets out a scream as the bullet misses her by millimetres and collapses on the floor trembling. She's barely aware of the men who drag her away from the room. The only other sound she's aware of comes from the man in the chair.

He's shaking his head and muttering 'you bastards, not an innocent woman, why not kill me instead?' and she wants to reach out to him to let him know that she's still alive but as she goes to speak, a hand covers her mouth and she's .

Steve raises his head in time to see the door close. A mother dead and for what? He thinks of Dom, Sophia and Bobby Hills. He makes a promise in his head to them which he knows he has no realistic chance of keeping as long as he's here but for the sake of his sanity he has to do.

He hears the screech of a chair leg being dragged across the room until it's in front of him. One of the figures moves across and straddles it.

The figure pulls a cigarette from inside the black robe and then a lighter, lights the cigarette and inhales finally letting out a long breath. He offers the cigarette to Steve who doesn't make a sound or any sign that he's noticed. His captor shrugs then takes another drag and blows the smoke into Steve's face.

'You like our show?' It's the first sound except for Rebecca Hills dying screams that he's heard in a while and in part he's relieved. Now perhaps he can get to the root of this.

It's a male voice, it's not a local accent, it's East Coast. And reminds him of a seal buddy from Hell Week. Jim Sheridan. The memory momentarily cheers him.

The man clicks his fingers in Steve's face. Apparently he doesn't like to be ignored. 'I said, did you like our show?'

'You will rot in hell you bastard, I will personally see to it. And before you rot in hell, I will ensure you wish you'd never laid eyes on me'.

'That's a no I take it'. The man laughs and gestures to the other figures in the room. 'You can't please everybody all the time hey guys?' In one swift movement he turns back to Steve, the cigarette still in his hand, he moves it first to Steve's arm hovering over it before moves it his neck and presses lightly at first then harder before moving it away quickly and pressing it firmly into his left palm.

Steve has precious little time to dwell on the pain before the man grabs him by the hair and whispers softly, but in a sing song voice so cheerful if Steve put his mind to it he could vomit, in his hear 'Never mind sweetie, you ain't seen nothing yet' He sees the bat a second before it connects with his head, the small movement he makes isn't enough to stop his world blacking out.

* * *

He's so utterly bored with arguing with himself that he's beginning to sympathise with Steve for the times they argue. He really is a persistent little bastard when he gets going.

He's recited to himself already every song the Rolling Stones produced and he's listed all the women in films that he would either kiss, marry or dump and he's going to need to live to 960 years old to be able to grace them with Danny Williams' presence even for one hour.

All this distraction is carefully designed to attempt to not dwell on what's going on and the dire situation he's in. Also to ignore the pain in his body. And well his hand? His hand is swollen and it hurts.

He doesn't want to admit it either but there's a growing fear building inside him. He could have imagined it but he's sure he heard screaming before and one particular shout sounded very much like McGarrett.

He's thought frantically about how he can find a way out of here and get him and Steve to safety and also find out where the two families are. He's come up with all kinds of ideas which would be fine if he was James Bond and his belt turned into some kind of magical lock picking machine and if he had a tie pin in his mouth just kept there in case of dire emergencies but there's nothing and besides his belt has been taken away.

He's also wondered who these people are, first thoughts with the robes and the silence and he thought he was in some crazy 70s show or a Starsky and Hutch episode about Cults. He's fairly confident they're not though, he actually just thinks they're psychopathic crazies who get off on kidnapping families and torturing chatty cops who hate silences.

He forces his thoughts to shut off for just a second and there's nothing, no sounds at all and so he says out loud 'So Danny Williams, what 3 items would you take with you to a desert island'.

* * *

The woman smiles despite herself at the blonde man and the commencement of another conversation/debate with himself. She allows herself a moment or two to take in the man and the way his mind works before she turns to look at the next screen. The picture there is less calm, there is crying, the man comforting his children as they huddle together on the floor. As the door opens, they all flinch but then there are shout of joy 'Becca!' 'Mommmy!' as the mother is brought back in. She watches with the expectancy and the anticipation of someone waiting to watch a friend get married or relative give birth.

She's aware of the sound of the door opening in the background and reaches out a hand 'Is it time?' she says her voice rising in excitement.

'Oh yes' comes the response.

The family continues to hug, ecstatic at the joyful reunion and oblivious to all around them. It's probably a blessing as the door opens slightly and the small object is tossed inside, it's pin removed and within seconds, there's a distant explosion and the screen turns grey with static and interference.

She smiles and turns to the man beside her. 'Did you really have to take them all out?' she asks 'We could have had fun with them'.

'We have the others and the cops, we can make enough fun with them to last a lifetime'. He kisses her cheek. 'Well, maybe not a lifetime but certainly some time' he amends.

'They're dangerous as long as they're alive' she turns to the 4th screen where Steve McGarrett tests his restraints for the 100th time. 'We have to make sure we minimise the risks'

We will, don't worry' he strokes her face and then looks at his watch. 'I think it's time we laid some little breadcrumbs out there don't you?

He grabs the walkie talkie from the desk. 'Move the blond cop to room D and the other one to Room E'.

The woman's face is one of surprise. 'Already? Really?'. At the man's nod, she grins.

* * *

**H50 HQ**

'Goddamit, why won't anything go right' Kono shouts as she slams the end call button on her cell.

Lori Weston looks up. 'Nothing?'

At the shake of Kono's head, she lifts up the piece of paper in front of her with names and numbers of the Benet's and Hills family, friends, business associates, teachers all over it. Halfway through the list and they're not any closer. Apparently the families were as ordinary as they appeared to be. No enemies, no worries.

'Maybe they were taken for the very reason they have no skeletons in their closet so we'd have nothing to go on' Lori suggests.

'The more we look at this, the more I begin to think you're right and the more I look at it, the more I wonder if they weren't the real targets'.

'Steve and Danny?' Lori considers this 'Why go to all the effort of taking the two families and murdering a child? Why not just take them?'

'Good question' Kono and Lori turn at the sound of the new voice. Chin. Back from seeing Max. 'I take it we've got nothing from the calls yet?'

'Not a thing, brah, what did you get from Max?' Kono asks.

He sighs and pulls the envelope from his jacket removing photographs. 'Max had some trouble finding out the exact cause of death, right up to the point he checked her fingernails, or underneath and found traces of cotton, she was smothered to death' he pauses as Kono and Lori take in the photographs of the dead girl with no sign of physical harm apparent. 'One piece of potential good news though, she put up a fight and Max found traces of blood and skin again under some fingernails, he's pretty confident he can get something that we can try and trace through DNA'.

The faces of Lori and Kono change in an instant 'You mean we may have our first lead?'.

'We can hope and that's more than we had half an hour ago, now where did you get up to with the calls?' Chin responds taking his phone out ready to start

* * *

In room D, Danny has been sitting alone for the last hour. It's getting to be a tedious habit of his captors. At least he's had a chance to really think about what to take on the desert island. He's having trouble deciding between a hard hat to avoid the coconuts and pineapples landing on his head or a hot tub. Life or death decision literally and he's just about to weigh the whole process up again when the door opens.

Three figures move in and he sighs slightly as one stands in front of him while the other takes up sentry at the door and the other to the other side by the wall. He's all set for the biggest staring out competition so far. Then the voice comes and all at once he's stunned by what he hears.

'I think if I were you I'd pick the hot tub, much more comfortable and you may as well enjoy your time on the island before the inevitable death by pineapple occurs huh?'.

Several questions bombard his brain at once and yet only one thing comes out 'You're a woman?'

The slow hand clap is predictable he guesses. The laugh is frankly pretty creepy. He tries again.

'Where do you hide the cameras then? I mean you've obviously been listening to me at least or more likely watching me all along?' He really doesn't know when to stop talking sometimes 'I mean stands to reason huh, you kidnap two families, of course you're sick then you pretend you're all scary and silent and then when you get bored you start shooting people, oh yeah I heard the shot'. He pauses as he notices from the woman's eyes and the way they crinkle that she's smiling.

'You sick piece of work, I swear to god I will end you'.

'Your partner said exactly the same thing to my partner a couple of hours ago Detective Williams, and guess what he's not done a thing yet. He's not doing great' she pauses 'You really are not in a position to make threats, you really don't know the consequences of those threats, who it may affect, could it be the Benet family? Nah, we're done with them for now, or your partner, hmm maybe, or wait could it be the nice Hills family' she clicks her fingers at the mention of them and a photograph is passed to her which she puts in front of Danny 'Oh wait, no, too late for that'

Danny pales at the sight in front of him. He tries to speak but the words fail to come out.

'Was there something you wanted to say Daniel?'

He wants to punch the crap out of the bitch and he's never wanted to do that to any woman before not even when Rachel was at her worst. The look he gives her he hopes is enough to put her off her stride in the way she's done to him. Small hopes.

She glances at her watch. 'We got some time Daniel, why don't you tell me a little about New Jersey, I hear it's glorious in the Spring?'.

* * *

'Why won't they tell us where Lauren is though, Ray?' In the fading light, Ray Benet can just about make out the faces of his family and he reaches out to wipe away the tears on his wife's face.

'They've probably let her go, Sally, they must have listened more than we thought when we told them she suffered from anxiety attacks, she'll be going crazy that we're still here, she'll make sure they get us out'. Even as he's saying this, it's in hope, blind hope rather than anything else.

He's almost lost count of the days they've been here, but he thinks it's a week. A week since he got home from work and they were getting ready to go to the movies. A week since he went to the patio door to get Missy in and found her body on the floor. A week since a sea of figures dressed in black emerged from nowhere on the patio and forced him into the house. And a week since he let them take him and his family with barely any argument. He concedes that the machete at the throat of his youngest son probably influenced this but it can't stop the guilt and the certainty in his head that Lauren is now dead.

It's the why they were taken that gets to him the most. That and the fact that a week in and they've still not uttered a word. That and the fact that he's heard screaming in the distance and still no one comes.

It's the stench that's the worst in this room, they gave them a bucket which they can use how they want. And predictably it's for their waste. After Sally begged them, they provided another bucket and a single litre bottle of water which they have to use to clean after them and the rest for drinking and it's little wonder the smell remains.

Jamie has had a persistent cough for 4 days now and a high fever and Nick just stares into space. Even if they don't murder them in the end, even if they're rescued, Ray concludes that they're pretty much dead already. In mind, if not in body.

But as the grill opens and he wearily pulls himself to accept the 4 stale bread rolls and ham that serve as their breakfast, lunch and dinner these past few days, he puts his mask on again, clears his throat and says 'So, where we gonna go on holiday when we get outta here, huh guys?'.

* * *

They haven't even bothered putting him on a chair with a back this time, he's kneeling and has been for the last hour and Steve's not sure what this means. Four people are in the room with him and part of him realises that this could mean they know more about him than he originally thought and that's not a comfort in any way.

The smallest man in the room steps forward and pulls a chair up, he's guessing it's the same guy from before and the way he straddles the chair confirms this. Even while sat down on the chair, he's looking down on Steve and Steve guesses that this is part of the power game somehow.

'So Steven, changed your mind yet about our little show earlier?'

Steve remains silent.

'Cat got your tongue huh Mr ex navy Seal turned cop?' The last word is said with contempt. The man stands up and nods to one of the other figures who moves forward.

'What would you think if I told you that Rebecca Hills survived only to die with her entire family minutes later?' The man smiles at Steve's continued silence though not failing to notice the tell tale twitch on Steve's eyelid. He continues 'And what would you say if I told you that the other family are slowly starving to death in a room just down the corridor?'

All of Steve's training comes into play in a situation like this. It's all he can do to prevent himself from launching at this bastard in front of him but he knows that he could attempt this maybe if he was fully fit but now when the man in his head with the hammer is threatening to explode out of one side of his skull and the pain is in his chest increases, it's not the right time and he could scream.

'And finally, what would you say if I told you your partner is in the next room and you each have a say in the other's well-being and survival?' The man smiles as Steve blinks slightly. 'Yes, you heard right, though you've not asked about him at all except for one little cry for him, he's next door'.

The man nods at the figure he called forward just before.

* * *

Evidently, she's got bored of him telling her in no uncertain terms what she can do about her attempts to engage him in conversation about New Jersey as she stands up and nods at the figure nearest to her to move over to the far end of the room.

'So, if you won't talk about New Jersey, perhaps we could talk about those who you care most about, Rachel perhaps, or Grace, or Chin Ho Kelly or Kono' she smiles at the expression on Danny's face. 'Oh we know you very well Detective, we know all about you, we know about all of you'

She moves next to Danny putting her arm around him and he flinches but she's got a tight hold on his shoulder. 'Silly me, I'm such a ditz, I forgot about one person, the other one we got'

The man at the far end of the room flicks a switch Danny wasn't even aware was there and suddenly the wall is disappearing in front of him and he's so not got a good feeling about this. Within seconds, this feeling is confirmed and the emotions are like he's been kicked in the stomach and yet he can't help the feeling of relief as he sees him and really McGarrett doesn't look that good, though he knows he's not exactly the advert for health right now either.

'How's that for a nice touching reunion?'

Steve catches his eye and for the first time since this all went to hell, he feels his hopes rise. 'Now, it's perfect time for hunting season don't you agree gentlemen?'

'So' the figure stood behind Steve moves forward and to the centre of the now very large room between them 'who's going first?'

The figures around them pull from their cloaks an array of weapons and Danny and Steve's eyes meet and Danny would kill Steve himself if he could when he sees the eye wink. It's going to be a long long day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings re violence and swearing as before.

_I can taste the fear  
Gonna lift me up and take me out of here  
Don't wanna fight, don't wanna die  
Just wanna hear you cry_

Intervention – Arcade Fire

– – – – – – – –

In the end, they evidently decided it would be infinitely more fun to attack them both at the same time. It's like they're in some sick race to see who can knock the other victim out quickest.

Somewhere in Danny's brain, he baulks at the thought that he just called himself a victim, but right now he probably earns this description. Right now though, he needs to put that thought to bed and start to fight a little.

Through the fog in his head and through the eye that's threatening to shut, he can still just about see McGarrett. And boy it looks bad. He suspects it's like looking in a mirror.

And just when he's thinking that at least soon he'll be unconscious and they can do whatever they want to him, they stop.

He moves his head as much as he dares through the pain and they're congregated in the centre of the room, unless he's got double vision, there's 8 of them he can make out. He's not sure if that includes the figures that have previously guarded the door whenever he's been in one of these rooms before. Whatever, as if two makes a difference in light of their predicament.

While their attention is not entirely focused on him and Steve, he tries to catch Steve's attention and though there's blood coming from his nose and his eye is badly bruised, he almost laughs when Steve smiles slightly. McGarrett's a stupid reckless idiot though and so when it clearly hurts his face too much to wink again, he does the next most logical/idiotic/suicidal thing and shouts out to Danny 'Don't worry, they're amateurs, all punch and no substance'.

He'd strangle him himself if he could and his heart stops still for a moment awaiting the next brutal assault on his partner.

Nothing happens and for a moment Danny thinks that maybe, just maybe, they're going to leave him be.

Then one of the figures moves towards Steve, removes one hand from their pocket and forces Steve's head up. 'You really are a very very annoying man' and with that the bitch from earlier pulls her other hand from her pocket and he can't see what it is at first. There's a glint though as she slashes at the air and he's about to cry out, no make that scream, as she brings it down toward Steve's face when she brushes the side of it without fully touching and instead laughs slightly and passes the knife to one of the hooded figures.

The hooded figure moves the knife towards the bindings that currently hold Steve's hands together and within a moment, they're gone.

Danny blinks. This is unexpected. He catches Steve's eye. There's confusion there, it's fairly safe to say that his expression tells the same story. Before he can think about it more. one of the hooded figures moves to stand in front of him, and again a knife is produced and the same thing happens. The feeling of circulation flowing back to his fingers is both excruciating but a relief.

As he moves his hands tentatively in front of him, the woman moves to the middle of the room and whispers to one of the other figures. The attention of every other figure in the room appears to be fixated on those in the centre of the room.

Danny moves his head to one side slightly trying again to catch Steve's eye. The confusion has gone but there's something else there, something unexpected and rare with him. Where he'd expected Steve to be indicating to the door or gesturing in some way that he was about to attempt some madcap escape, there's hesitancy and a small shake of the head. There's a warning in the expression too. Danny shrugs and mouths something at Steve to express his displeasure and confusion. As they're about to enter full scale bicker mode silent style, the woman's heels scrape along the floor causing Danny to clench his teeth slightly and the other figure clears his throat.

'Gentlemen, we've decided that to conquer we must divide' there's a pause 'As we said earlier, its hunting season and so, you're the prey'

He turns to the woman.

'But now we've given it some thought, and really it'd be too simple and no fun with it just being you guys out there on your own, there are points where you can escape, no one has of course' she laughs slightly 'but I'm confident men of your capabilities, particularly you McGarrett would find a way and so we present a challenge' She nods at the figure closest to the door.

The lights are suddenly turned on at full beam and it's all Danny can do to prevent himself screaming in rage as the two figures are dragged into the room. The rage is followed by some relief. Jamie and Nick Benet are still alive though the faces are gaunt and the toll on them is clear. Jamie can barely stand and his brother is taking all his weight.

'McGarrett, you have Jamie, Williams, you have Nick, you also have 30 minutes head start, if either one of the pair escapes and the other is found, the remaining one will be shot in the head immediately, if you both escape, well…' the room suddenly erupts in laughter and the main hooded guy puts his arm round the woman.

'Baby, we know that's not gonna happen'.

Danny tries a reassuring smile in Jamie and Nick's direction but he knows it doesn't reach his eyes. This time Steve catches his attention and yeah, this really is a shit day.

**H50 HQ**

'Goddamit, why does DNA have to take so long to get processed?' Kono angrily prods the disconnect button on her cell and thumps it onto the desk in front of her.

Chin offers a sympathetic smile. 'I'm as frustrated as you, cuz, but we know Max'll be pulling out every stop he can to get it processed ASAP'.

'How can they just disappear? How can 2 families get kidnapped, one child murdered and Steve and Danny go missing too and yet there's not one witness?'

Chin's all out of ideas and is about to attempt some lame platitudes when the door bursts open and Catherine Rollins is practically sprinting towards them closely followed by one of the HPD guys from the reception desk downstairs.

'Miss, you have to come back down, you can't just barge in' He protests reaching for her shoulder to pull her back.

Chin recognises her 'Catherine? Right?' She nods, her face flushed and seemingly on the edge of tears.

'It's okay Ben' He reassures the cop who looks quizzically between them both and after looking at Kono who nods her affirmation throws his hands in the air muttering 'H50, got rules? They break 'em' before heading out the door.

Kono comes from round the other side of the desk and stands next to Chin. 'What's wrong?'

Everything Chin has heard from Steve of Catherine Rollins is belied by what he sees in front of him. She's barely in control and shaking so he offers the chair to her.

'We don't have time, I thought it was odd that Steve hadn't contacted me but I knew he was probably involved in some big case' she pauses 'then I started getting odd messages claiming to be from Steve's cell but not things Steve would say and then... Well I got some messages with photos on but I couldn't open them, it said a password would follow, I received the password a few minutes ago..with two new pictures.'

She stops and passes the phone to Chin with Kono right beside him.

There are 6 photos in all. In the first couple of picture, they look alive, Steve and Danny, but there's no way of telling whether they actually are. They're unconscious or at least have their eyes closed in the pictures and there are bruises and blood.

The third picture is of the remaining four members of the Benet family. The fourth picture shows the Hills family. They appear to be sleeping but the grey tinge to each of their faces hint at an entirely more sinister fate.

The remaining two pictures show Danny and Steve, very much alive but they bring no comfort. Danny's right eye is almost shut and his face covered in bruises, holding his hand is a young boy. One of the Benet kids.

'Jesus, what the hell?' breathes Kono as Chin opens the next picture.

In the final photograph, it's hard to recognise who's holding the other person up. Steve and the other Benet boy. But it's who's behind them that's the scariest part. In the shadows behind them stand several hooded figures and in both pictures, the boys are holding up white paper with the words 'Catch us if you can' on them.

'So' Catherine says 'What can I do to help?

* * *

The fresh air Steve is breathing right now is quite simply wonderful. The rain that's pouring, not so much. Particularly with Jamie Benet coughing pretty much constantly by his side and his chest feeling like it will be contributing to the noise soon.

It's been probably 15 minutes since Steve and Danny were separated along with the two boys. For all Steve knows Danny's just seconds away but he suspects this isn't the case.

The woman said there were ways to escape, well, he'd find them. Even if it killed him, Jamie Benet would get out of this alive. If his fever and cough don't get him first anyway.

At that thought, another cough explodes from the boy and he can barely catch his breath this time. Steve's not exactly warm himself, the shock of his beating showing itself now but he doesn't hesitate as he removes the vest top and t-shirt they'd given back to him and pulls them over Jamie's head and neck and adds them to the other t-shirt he's wearing. They're far too big for him but for the first time since they were thrown together, he shows Steve a fraction of a smile.

And Steve, well he's known he can be paternal. After all, look at Gracie who could melt his heart with just a tiny smile. It still takes him by surprise when instead of following another path in the precious minutes they have before they come after them, he pulls Jamie into his body, hugs him and whispers into his ear.

When he's finished, Jamie hugs into him some more and the words he says in reply are said so quietly but earnestly, he just hopes he's doesn't let the kid down. 'I **do** trust you'.

* * *

Danny's panting hard and if the situation weren't so serious, he's pretty sure McGarrett would be chasing behind him laughing heartily at the sight of him lagging behind Nick Benet.

Thing is they've passed the circle with the four stones twice before and he wishes he didn't have to crush the kid's enthusiasm but they've only got a few minutes and Danny's damned if they're going to be some psychopathic gang of idiots' hunting toys at all, never mind for 5 seconds so he stops.

'Kid' he shouts. The kid hesitates slightly but goes to move again so he shouts louder and more forcefully this time 'Nick, you have to stop, we've been this way twice before, if you wanna have a shot at living and getting everyone out of this, we have to stop and try a new way'

Nick spins around and glares, he runs back to Danny and without warning starts pummelling at Danny's chest. Danny lets him. What else can he do? What else does he expect after all the kid's been through?

Finally, it stops and Nick jerks away. His face is turned away from Danny and as much as Danny wants to give him the time and the space to deal with what's happened, he has to focus on what's ahead. Just as he's about to say this, Nick turns his face towards him 'Why should I trust you?' That's all he says. And well, he's got a point but they don't have the time and so he responds simply. 'You don't need to but trust this, I want to go home, I want to cuddle my daughter again and I want to see you and your family reunited' he reaches a tentative hand out to touch Nick's shoulder. 'Don't trust me now, trust me when we're all home and safe, till then let's make a deal to find our way out, okay?'.

Nick doesn't meet his eyes instead playing with the earth on the ground, making patterns with his feet. He says nothing but nods slightly and looks around him, before nodding fully.

'I'm a scout, I say we go that way' he points in the opposite way to where they'd been going round in circles.

Typical that he should get stuck with the strong, silent, bolshy and awkward kid. He follows.

* * *

She looks at her watch again and then at the clock at the wall, impatient for the 30 minutes to be up. Removing her hood for a moment, she clutches the man's hand. 'Please, honey, they've had 23 minutes, these guys are different'.

He looks at the screens in front of him. Still a few more hours of daylight and then the fun would really begin. He smiles back at her, reaching for his walkie talkie with one hand and for the button on the wall with the other.

Outside, there's a piercing shrieking alarm sound and the rain continues and the pace, it quickens.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All warnings as before...

He'd find it hard to explain why as the alarm sounds, he feels a sense of relief and the build-up in tension is gone. He's pretty sure that if Danny were by his side rather than Jamie Benet, he'd understand while at the same time giving him plenty of hassle and psycho analyst bullshit. It's not worth pretending he doesn't miss him.

He glances across at Jamie again. They've kept moving pretty fast but without a map or a compass, even allowing for his famed sense of direction, Steve's fairly close to admitted that they're screwed.

He thanks whoever's watching over them right now for the fact that there's no sound of terrifying animals roaming through this place, but the one thing Steve's learning pretty fast is that wherever they are is large so the fact that they can't hear them means little right now, they just have to try and find some advantage, somehow.

Jamie's face has now changed from a waxen colour to that of a fever flushed, red rimmed countenance. He shivers as he stands in the same place. His legs are beginning to not support him as they attempt to move fast, so far the gentle Steve approach hasn't worked so he steels himself as he tries the other approach.

'Hey kid, need some water?' there's a quick shake of the head and Steve sighs brushing one of his hands through his hair as he proffers the leaf from the trees with the precious rain water on it. Turns out there's an advantage in the torrential rain. Small though it is.

He bends down to Jamie's level. 'You wanna live or do you really want to sit down and wait for death to come along, if so be my guest but please tell me now so I can make a decision for myself too?'

The kid blinks a little and tears form on the outer rims of his eyes.

'Your brother needs you to fight, your mom and dad do too, but I need it more right now' Still no reaction except the kid absentmindedly wipes at his eyes. 'We're a team you and I, Jamie' he takes a breath 'Hey, I know you feel like shit on a stick right now but if you see any sign you can escape, you have to promise me you will, okay? Are you even listening to me kid?'

There's a barely perceptible nod but it's there. He looks around him, searching for something to say, when it comes, he hopes it works.

'Who's your favourite sportsman?' It's a risk as for all he knows the kid'll come back saying some golfer or worse still a big fat wrestling guy. But the kid doesn't let him down and though his expression is confused, Jamie answers.

'Usain Bolt' Steve grins and sends a small thank you thought to the skies. 'Mine too, Jamie, and you have to do something for me, put all the thoughts of your headache and your fever out your mind and channel Usain Bolt for me, okay? Those people in there said there was a way out, I promise you that I'll find it and when I do, you run like you're Usain Bolt, okay?'

The kid nods. Unsure at first but then he stands up and Steve's surprised to see he's not actually that far off the height of Danny. He stores that way for the reunion he craves in the future.

Jamie coughs to clear his throat. 'Let's go home' Steve smiles then nods and they move.

* * *

As the doors open and the siren rages, three figures remain in the surveillance room. Two enjoy everything they see before them, commenting as their prey move around in what amounts to circles passing by no more than twenty feet past each other in opposite directions but without having any idea they're so close.

The third figure surveys all before him with a sense of nausea rising in his belly. He coughs a little, he knows the implications of what he's about to do but it's not what he signed up for, not at all.

'Sir, Ma'am' They don't hear him at first so he raises his voice higher and isn't surprised that the sound is hoarse so he coughs again reaching for the water in front of him. 'Sir, Ma'am'

And they turn to him.

'Yes, what is it?' the woman responds curtly glancing at his sleeve 'number 16?'

'Yes, ma'am thank you, I just- I mean I understand why you're doing this with the cops, but the kids, we always said we'd never do this to the kids' He gestures towards the screens.

'Ethan, that's right isn't it, you're Ethan?' the man this time who finds the chair opposite Ethan and reaches for his hand. 'Are you disagreeing with our methods, son?'

'Not disagreeing exactly, Sir, I just-well we've just not done _this_ before with children'

'You're still pretty new to us Ethan, you'll learn' He squeezes Ethan's hand tighter 'And you know, there's always the choice to leave should you wish to exercise it' the pressure on Ethan's hand increases 'you're free to go anytime'. He releases Ethan's hand. 'Anytime at all'

The laughter echoes along the corridor as Ethan rubs his hands across his face, and stares at the scenes in front of him, he stands, reaches underneath the uniform and retrieves the object. His decision made.

* * *

Danny swears for the fifth time in as many seconds as he tries to put his foot down in front of him and start running again. He's fairly sure he's not broken his foot, but he may as well have done.

Nick's been gone for about 3 minutes as he's currently doing a pretty passable impression of a Super seal and keeps going on ahead whenever Danny slows to check what's out there before making a decision where to head next. And the plus side is that they've not seen that annoyingly ever present stone circle now for at least 40 minutes, the minus side is that the temperature has dropped and Danny can't keep up right now so Nick has to keep coming back and Danny's fairly sure that the tiredness will soon begin to tell and that darkness will then fall and well, commence operation let's get eaten by crazy doggies and men with hoods.

It's not a good thought.

He hears the footsteps running back and though he's pretty confident it'll be Nick Benet, it's still a relief when the gangly teenager comes back.

He scoots next to Danny who looks up at him questioningly. 'Well?'

'Nothing sir, though I saw some muddy footprints, I think they could be mine' he says it almost apologetically and Danny could hug him.

'You're doing great Nick'.

'Can you walk yet?' Nick shrugs off the praise gesturing at Danny's foot. At Danny's shake of the head, he nods then reaches into his trousers. 'Maybe these'll help' He proffers several sticks. Enough for a splint definitely but of course this means Danny losing his shoes, and he's just a little annoyed about that.

'You're a genius Nick, in fact are you sure you're not Steve McGarrett or some other kind of crazy MacGyver type?' He smiles.

The kid smirks but he's looking around him frantically before he reaches for something behind him near one of the trees. 'You need something to tie up the splints' he flexes the long green twine like branch which moves just enough but shows no great sign of giving or breaking. 'Yeah, this'll do' and without saying another word, he removes the shoe from Danny, gently at first ignoring Danny's swearing, he then removes the sock and oh boy is it bruised? You could say that. Within a couple of minutes, Danny's foot is secure. Nick then puts the sock over the foot again and it's not comfortable by a long stretch but it secures it some more.

'It's not ideal, sir but I figure it's the best we can do'.

Danny wants to kiss him. 'Venture Scouts sure has changed' is all he says as he reaches his hand up to Nick who lifts him up.

It's not ideal by any stretch of the imagination and is as temporary as anything can be but as he reaches his hand against the tree, he can move at least and every step they take, they hope takes them further away from trouble.

* * *

Ethan Jeffries presses the last button and then it's gone and he's just hopeful that here in this remote little place of hell and misery, the extra masts the evil bastards have set up ensure the message reaches its destination.

He heads back into the surveillance room looking at the screens in front of him and the larger Map on the wall, they're actually doing better than anyone else has at this point. But he knows full well that the bigger tests are to come, the disorientation as the light fades and the fake sounds start to echo, that's what's killed those before these people.

He looks up as his replacement enters the room to take over, they say nothing. Hell, Ethan has an idea who these people are but that's no thanks to working amongst them for so long.

As he heads out into the hall and up to his quarters, he reaches for the cell again, opening his door there's one message and he smiles, satisfied before deleting it.

It's the very last thing he does though it's not the last thing he hears.

'Oh Ethan, how you've let us all down' and as his neck is broken he falls to the floor, knowing nothing ever again.

* * *

Ruth Dainton's taking a well-earned break from another evening at the station house – she looks out the window of her apartment towards the Brooklyn Bridge in the early evening rush hour and takes a swig from the beer smiling as she hears his footsteps behind her.

'So, the movies or a night in front of TiVo?' Is all he asks as he wraps his arms around her clinking his bottle onto hers.

'You had me at TiVo' she giggles and they fall onto the couch together searching for something to watch on the millions of channels.

They've just selected yet another episode of ER to watch when he huffs a little and she sighs and mumbles apologetically 'I got it, I'll turn it off' and she picks up her bag and sits next to him, she opens the cell and mutters 'Jesus Christ', she kisses him on the lips as she leaps up reaching for her sneakers and the bag and cell, she shouts out 'Don't wait up' and is gone.

* * *

Kono stares at the photographs for the millionth time that day, hoping that the blow ups pick out something different this time but no, the Hills family are still looking dead and Danny and Steve look no less beat up and as for the pictures of them both with the Benet boys, she does all she can to avoid the look on their faces.

There are no words for the level of frustration she's feeling right now, so she heads out into the main area to see if Chin has anything new and if Catherine's managed to find out anything at all from her sources.

The frustrated looks on their faces give her the answer.

'Still nothing, huh cuz?' He shakes his head.

She reaches for the phone behind her and dials as the voice responds she asks again. 'Anything yet Max?' He's surprisingly polite given it's the fourth time in less than an hour that she's called him. He reassures her that he expects the DNA to be back anytime soon and that he'll call as soon as he hears.

She excuses herself and heads outside, she needs fresh air. The last time they were outside, it was a bright day, humid but sunny, the rain falling down now has left behind the humidity and she regrets not bringing her jacket, she sends a thought out into the air 'We'll get you of there soon guys'

At the stares from the HPD officers walking past, she realises she said that out loud so she mutters an apology and heads back inside.

'Whoo, it's cold out there' as she shakes her hair to get rid of the water, she looks up to see Catherine gesturing for silence and then sees Chin on the phone.

He has a notepad and writes down a number. 'I'll call you right back' is all he says.

'What's happened, Chin?' she asks.

'We got to get the video conference to work' he says pressing the buttons on the large keypad and activating the screen to video conference mode. He dials a number and they wait.

A couple of minutes pass and then a small office comes up, it's dingy and there's just two seats in there. They wait a few moments longer before a woman enters the room. Ruth Dainton.

'Thanks for agreeing to speak to me, I have some vital information and time is of the essence' she scatters some papers in front of her and looks up. 'I have reason to believe one of our deep undercover operatives may have just given us a vital clue in the family murders we've been investigating for 8 years and I believe you've been investigating in recent weeks. I hear you have two families missing and a couple of your cops, I think we can help' She holds up a printout which she puts onto the magnifier, it's in text message format and the words though abbreviated are clear.

And suddenly this longest of all days is looking up.

* * *

It's the last few minutes of any form of light and true to form as one sense begins to dull, the others become more attuned so Steve is beginning to hear noises around them which definitely aren't insects or birds, he hopes that the panting noises and the gruffing isn't what he thinks it is. He's fairly certain they've done one lap of wherever they are now, he's also fairly certain that wherever they are is enclosed. He's beginning to consider the escape options and the ways the woman mentioned of getting out and what they are. Of course she could be bluffing but he's fairly certain that they're cruel enough to dangle that carrot in the knowledge that someone like Steve would keep going till he finds it. He's so far come up with holes in fencing if he can find the outer rim of the place they are, or tunnels. He hopes it's the former.

Somewhere in his brain, he's also wondering where in the hell they are. Are they even in Hawaii anymore? He knows Hawaii like the back of his hand and he's all kinds of confused that he's not noticed this place before.

He feels a tug on his arm.

'Steve?' He's zoned out again. It's been an increasing occurrence in the last few minutes and he's aware of how hot he's become. He coughs a little. It's a wet sound. As he suspected, his condition's not getting any better.

'Are you okay Steve?' Jamie again, who then immediately coughs and folds in on himself. They're neither of them in good shape.

They just need to keep going a little longer. There's a way out there has to be.

'I know and I trust that you'll get us out Steve' Well apparently he said that out loud so he smiles across at Jamie who squeezes his hand.

He shivers a little and then after sucking on another leaf, he nods and they start to run again. He comes to an abrupt halt at the sound of a scream in the distance 'Danny!'

* * *

They're moving well and fast and they've also pretty much worked out there's a perimeter, they now just need to find the bit of the perimeter that allows an escape.

Danny's gotten through about a million nursery rhymes and repetitive tunes in his head as his mantra to keep going through the discomfort and pain in his foot in these last few minutes.

He's heard other noises that he's fairly sure aren't friendly but there's more optimism now they've worked out there will be a way out.

He stops for a moment considering how Steve's faring and there's a pit of disquiet stirring in his stomach.

Nick has stopped again, drawing another little map – he's pretty obsessed with them and Danny promises in his head that maybe when this is all over and when they're all out safe, he'll send Steve and Nick off on some crazy treasure hunt together which they'll adore while he can just sit at home and relax.

'That way' is all Nick says as he points in a north easterly way. And Danny takes another breath and follows.

They keep going for another few minutes until they reach the end of a path, and the leaves are no longer surrounding the path, it's all gravel now, Nick goes to jump under the bushes when Danny shouts 'No, wait for me' but Nick ignores him and he hears him shout triumphantly 'We got a way out!' and he heads off to reach him when from nowhere there's a loud crash and the sound of something falling through the trees and Danny looks up, open mouthed then horrified as a torso flies through the air as though catapulted and a head then follows, He tries to get out the way as suddenly he hears the sound of feet, not just one pair but many come thundering through the forest.

In the second before the torso hits him, he shouts out 'Run, Nick Run' as he hears a scream and then the feet stop behind him and he thinks 'just my luck!' before the lights go out and he knows nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no real medical knowledge so the splint idea may be rubbish. Sorry if so. Chapter 6 and the rest to follow soon. Any comments/suggestions etc., gratefully received. Thank you. x


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers/warnings as before. Still rather grim and some violence.

'And that's pretty much that' Ruth Dainton closes the file and looks up at the screen in front of her 'I'm guessing you may have some questions for me?'

Kono and Chin share a glance and Chin shrugs a little then nods.

'So they killed 6 families, right on the mainland and you discovered they'd done the same in Europe too?' Even as she says the facts aloud, Kono still can't believe it.

Ruth nods. 'Afraid so, every time they got close to capture, and they were pretty damn close in the UK, they moved on just in time and left a trail of destruction in their wake, and each time in the UK, and over here and I believe to a certain extent in Hawaii, the police were anxious to keep the details low key for fear of causing panic' She lets out a breath. 'Unfortunately, that secrecy played into their hands, only when in the UK and then here, we talked a lot more about it and made it public, did they stop snatching families and people noticed more, that's what led to us finding what we believe is where they kept the families' She hesitates before speaking again.

'The text message I showed you, we believe was from an undercover operative who infiltrated these guys shortly after the second family was taken, he went in deep cover, so deep we thought we'd lost him and he'd been turned round, his name is and I hope remains in the present tense, Ethan'.

Chin speaks up this time. 'You mean you think you know who these people are?'

'We have our suspicions and since Detective Jefferies didn't come back to us after he infiltrated what we suspected was the outer cell of the perpetrators, we have reason to believe we got it right, unfortunately that was the last we heard of Ethan before today, I'll send you the full file for who we think is behind this, it comes with background from the UK too, it's pretty lengthy' She pauses 'Two last things, you may want to flick straight to page 34 of the file, they left someone behind, if you can get hold of her, she could be your key to the whole thing, second of all, please find Ethan and send him home'.

And with that, she moves towards the box in the middle of the table in front of her and the screen goes blank.

* * *

'Go easy on the merchandise guys, please? ' Even with the world of pain he finds himself in right now, Danny manages to annoy his captors a little more each second he's in their company. Enough for them to let him go? Nah. Enough to make them knock him out again? More likely, but it's not happened yet.

His ability to annoy them is a little hampered by the way he's being unceremoniously dragged by his legs by one of his captors, his head thudding into the earth now he's given up the strain of keeping his neck high enough for his head to miss the ground. His injured foot is making him think all manner of expletives in his head, he's surprised none are coming out. He figures he's wasting all his energy for now on keeping his head intact over and above the pain in his foot.

In the time he has to consider his predicament, he hopes that Nick Benet made it out and he really hopes that Steve is okay and he dreams of the day that Steve can rip the piss out of him for him getting caught so easily. He's a little surprised given their earlier threats that he's still alive, he's not stupid though and realises this isn't necessarily a sign of good news or them softening. Anything but he suspects.

Yeah, you try getting clobbered by a disembodied head and the torso straight after and see how you cope with that, huh Super Seal? Yeah, and you try hearing the combination of the sound of a kid screaming and your name being called by someone who sounds suspiciously like the pain in your ass and from a surprisingly close distance to you and then not think you're going all kinds of crazy.

He almost smiles at the thought of Steve, then he's dropped to the ground and just before the lights go out, he hears the voice he really wished he wouldn't hear again 'Hello Daniel, good to have you back'. As the lights go out, he fades with laughter as the accompaniment.

* * *

Nick Benet may be a venture scout, he may know puzzles like the back of his hand, the back of anyone's hand come to that but he's no runner, and yet right now if the US Olympics team were watching, he'd be guaranteed a place in the final and no one, not even Usain Bolt , would beat him.

Scratch that, as of now he could give any Kenyan marathon runner in the world a competition they'd struggle to beat him at.

He's no real concept of time but it's a little over twenty minutes since Danny Williams told him to get the hell out of there and run, he'd frozen for almost too long at the sight of the man's severed head and he'd let out such a scream he cringes when he thinks of it, but he didn't need telling twice and so he scratched at the fencing and the tiny hole became bigger, just big enough to let him through and he's so grateful to his mom for not feeding him too many burgers as he's pretty confident, it's not big enough for the bad guys to immediately be able to pursue him.

He's been too afraid to turn round before now, just in case they're right behind him but as he slows down a little and holds his breath, he can hear no sounds behind him so he stops for a moment.

He doesn't know where he is but he's pretty sure wherever it may be, sooner or later he'll find other signs of life, perhaps even friendly signs, hope's all he has right now, so he takes a breath, thinks of his Mom, his Dad, Jamie and Lauren and he pushes on.

* * *

'Danny!' He wakes up with a start and feels water on his head, he bats away at it with his hand absentmindedly at first before it really begins to annoy him and he snaps 'Just get away!'

'Steve, it's okay' The voice is one he doesn't recognise, it's certainly not Danny, and doesn't sound like Chin and it sure as hell isn't Kono so he blinks and looks up at the face. And he remembers, it wasn't a dream after all.

Jamie Benet's doing a pretty good of sounding way older than his years and the water thing, well it's a big leaf with a whole lot of water that Jamie is drip feeding into Steve's mouth and he's very thirsty so he takes it gratefully.

He shivers a little and tries to make himself warmer when he realises that the t shirt he'd given Jamie is back on him and he tries to remove it, horrified that this kid is endangering his own health for the sake of his, but Jamie stops him. 'Its okay – I feel a little better' and though he follows the bold statement with a hacking cough, he _does_ look better so Steve allows him the small victory, recognising that the extra layer of warmth may be the difference between flu and pneumonia.

He remembers how he woke up and he clutches at Jamie's arm. 'You heard Danny, right? You heard the scream and him telling someone to run? It was close I know it was'

The kid looks unsure. 'I mean, I don't know, yeah I guess' he hangs his head. 'I heard a scream and it could've been Nick I guess – I don't know'

Suddenly the boy looks every inch his age again and though Steve feels like seventeen million degrees of shit right now, he's felt worse than this before and got what he wanted, and right now this boy, his family and Danny, they need him.

So he picks himself up, holding onto Jamie for support as his vision swims a little. Its dark now and that makes things a whole lot harder, but he promised Jamie and he's not one for breaking promises so he shouts 'Come on' and they move.

* * *

There's silence in the main room of H50 – but it's a silence running deep with tension. The only sounds are those of paper being thumbed and Kono tapping away on the console in front of her letting out the occasional huff.

A quick phone call with several probing questions from the Governor but the mention of her high level security clearance helps and though unorthodox, Catherine Rollins is cleared to help on a small level at least and in the absence of Lori Weston, they really do need her right now.

She proves to be worth her weight in gold at speed reading and is writing copious notes.

Chin stopped reading five minutes ago, the images aren't those which will leave him quickly, nor do the autopsy reports, but it's the description from the sole survivor that stays with him most.

Catherine clears her throat. 'Does anyone else have the burning desire to go home and shower immediately?'

They nod and exchange grim smiles.

'Ok, so what we got?' Kono asks.

'We have a whole lot of crazy and scary going on, and two names and photos we didn't have before' says Chin pointing towards the pictures which Kono has brought up on screen. The faces look fairly nondescript, a middle aged guy smiling with glasses, he looks almost kind and an attractive woman, younger than the man again smiling into the camera.

The next picture is a drawing, penned by the sole survivor, witness K is all they know her as. It's an altogether less reassuring sight. A hooded figure with only the eyes showing, and as Kono looks back at the photograph, she recognises those warm friendly eyes turned evil.

The following pictures are larger and they show trees in a large circular field surrounded by wire with tunnels. It's pretty innocuous sight until you study harder and see the pencil stick figures of dead bodies and people in hoods and capes.

Kono's cell when it rings makes her jump a little but she smiles as she mouths to Chin. 'Max' and goes to take the call.

Catherine looks at Chin. 'Well, I'd say we got a whole of something which adds up to a whole lot of nothing to help us, where do we start?'

Chin holds up one piece of paper 'We speak to witness K, fast'. He picks up his cell from the table in front of him and dials Ruth Danton. It's getting late but he suspects she'll still be awake, he's right and she's not in the slightest bit surprised so she gives him a number, there's no promise of success but they're a step closer.

'You're the best Max' Catherine and Chin turn round to see Kono do a little jig of and she comes bounding through into the main office. She scrolls through the pictures on the screen at the two faces on the screen. 'We got them, we just need a little more luck, and then we'll get Steve and Danny too'.

* * *

Sally Benet stares across at her husband; he's not said anything in the time since Jamie and Nick were taken from them. She finally knows what it is to give up hope and she returns to the door banging on it.

'Please if you've killed my sons, take me, take my husband'

'What about Lauren?' It's the first words he's uttered in hours and she rushes back to his side. 'What about Lauren, have you given up on her already?'

She sighs, shakes her head and moves across the other side of the room, they stare at each other. She knows now that whatever happens, the life they knew is dead, even if her kids, all of them including Lauren, come back to her, nothing can ever be the same again so she figures she'd rather be dead right now than alive so she picks herself up and returns to the door, she's determined to have this one last measure of control, on how she dies, so she carries on.

In the background, Ray Benet pulls his knees up to just below his chin, rocking back and forth, he can listen no longer so he puts his hands over his ears and he screams, but no sound comes out, he hopes this is death already. He hopes soon he'll know no more.

* * *

The woman strikes out at the smaller figure in front of them but says nothing.

She knows the other man will do all the talking. He is after all the reason she's there, the reason for all this, their leader. Isn't he?

'You let him go, and then you bring the other one back, what did we tell you would happen if you made a mistake?' He's screaming at the figure in front of him who is shaking and crying. Number 8.

She never trusted number 8 and from somewhere she has an idea. 'What say we hunt number 8 for a while, it'll confuse the others and it'll be a little more fun for us?'

She's surprised as he shakes his head and turns around sharply. 'Why are you always so ridiculous?' it's not said cruelly, it's said with a light touch, or as light as it can be under the circumstances.

She's stunned though and humiliated, and from somewhere she feels a sudden fury. She reaches into the cloak and pulls from it the weapon, she goes to strike at number 8 but instead and before she even realises what she's doing, she slashes in the air at first before making contact with him, their leader and he fights her initially but suddenly the blood spurts and before she's even figured out what she's done, he falls to the floor.

She sobs a little and drops the weapon, aware on some level of the sound as it crashes to the floor and she falls to her knees and holds him, moving the hood away so she can see his eyes, she reaches for the glasses as he reaches for her face, clawing at her desperately for help, then she moves her hand from his head, sets it down hearing him gasping but quickly losing his fight for breath, for precious air, she stands up calmly and turns to number 8.

'Dispose of him, then bring me Williams, we have work to do'

* * *

Julieanna Rathbone and her new boyfriend Mackie South will be in a whole heap of trouble when they get home, first of all, Mackie is way too old for her, second of all, she definitely shouldn't have taken her dad's truck without asking him first but she figures she's a little too in love to really care.

That said, she doesn't love him _that_ much yet so as he tries unsuccessfully for the third time in three consecutive nights to move from second to the elusive third base, she smacks his hand away, pulls down her skirt and prepares to drive, smiling in what she hopes is a girlish but still alluring way. He smiles back and she nods in satisfaction.

It's like all her worst nightmares come true as the figure leaps out in front of the car as she pulls away from the wooded area and smacks the passenger window, then continues battering at it. She always thought she'd scream like the stupid immature girls in Supernatural and all the slasher movies she's obsessed with, but instead the sound of sobbing comes from alongside her, and just like that the crush is gone and she opens the door to an exhausted Nick Benet who falls into her arms and simply says 'Please call the cops'. So she does.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers and warnings as before.

'Yo, that you Carol? I been so worried about you baby' Paul James snatches up the phone in his hurry to answer. It's been almost a week since he last saw Carol Sawyer, since she left without any kind of note and just a week or two before that he recalls that she started acting strange.

The voice at the other end definitely isn't Carol. It's some dude from Hawaii asking to speak first to some lady called Heather Carter and when Paul asks who the hell he is and he doesn't know anyone by such a name, he tries again and asks for Carol.

When he tells the guy that he's not seen Carol for a long time and no he doesn't know where she is, the guy seems a little anxious and for a few minutes Paul wonders whether Carol has some secret life in Hawaii he doesn't know about, hell there's a lot she won't tell him about her after all, but when the guy introduces himself as a cop and says that he wants to send one of his colleagues who just so happens to be on the mainland right now for a chat, the curiosity turns to anxiety so he agrees, replaces the receiver, and waits.

* * *

'Thanks Lori, yeah, he's expecting you, see if you can find any belongings that give you any clue, call us as soon as you're done and thanks again for breaking your vacation' Chin hits the end call button on his cell.

He's got a bad feeling about this and the sudden hope brought about the positive identification of who they think is behind this combined with the lead on witness K who turned out to be Carol Sawyer evaporates.

He hears Catherine and Kono return and prepares himself to let their hopes be dashed too when just ahead of Kono and in the company of Barbara Turner, the famous mom figure of HPD is a teenager. He's filthy and yet his face is incredibly pale and it looks as though he's been crying but he recognises him from somewhere and the smile on Kono's face suggests that all is not lost after all.

'Nick, this is Officer Chin Ho Kelly' she says 'Chin, this is Nick Benet, he was with Danny approximately 3 hours ago, he's alive'.

* * *

Danny Williams **is** alive. He's also pretty pissed with being tied to a chair with a little bit of a headache, he's discovered that hobbling round with one ankle in a homemade splint while painful is infinitely preferable to this.

'Anybody there?' he shouts. When there's no response, he tests the cuffs and they definitely need lessons in how to put cuffs on people without them having their circulation cut off.

'I sure hope you know what you're doing keeping McGarrett on the loose, he's the best super seal there is and I'll be there laughing when he gets the drop on you all'. Still no response.

So he tries singing. American Pie, not the Madonna version, hell no, instead he tries the 9 minute Don Maclean version and apparently his captors aren't fans as by the point he gets to about 6 minutes in and the part about his hands being clenched in fists of rage, well that's pretty apt as the fist that thumps him hard on the chin is pretty angry really.

He smarts a little but can't resist the tried and tested Williams snark 'You shoulda said guys, I would've gone for the short version' The fist this time makes him see stars.

One figure emerges from behind the others and he looks around him, or as much as his sore head will allow him to anyway and when he notices the taller hooded caped figure isn't there, he says 'Hey Tweedledee, where the hell is Tweedledum?'

This time the fist almost knocks him out entirely.

'You think you're so funny, you're not, the kid may have escaped but by doing so he's sealed your fate and his parents fate and you will die'

He thinks of some snarky remark but comes up empty initially. Definitely concussion to blame but when something particularly smart comes to his mind, he's about to say it when the woman flashes out the type of uppercut that Ali would've been proud of. So, apparently it's not just Kono who can hit is all he thinks as his chair falls backwards and monotonously the lights go out once again.

* * *

Nick's not a fan of hot drinks but you wouldn't know it from the way he gulps down sweet tea, after sweet tea. Slowly but surely, colour returns to his cheeks but the trembling continues. Kono's fairly certain that this won't ease for some time to come.

Chin walks in the room carrying another cup.

'You feel a little better, Nick?' Kono asks.

He nods slightly. 'Thank you, Danno said you were cool people, please will you rescue my mom and dad and my brother, and will someone please tell me where Lauren is?' He takes a further sip of the tea.

'We'll do our best to get them home safe to you Nick, you need to tell us all you know'. Kono attempts to sidestep the Lauren question but he's not a stupid kid.

'Lauren, what's happened to Lauren, why can't I see her?' He looks anxiously at them both.

Chin shrugs then nods at his cousin. There's little sense in keeping it quiet so Kono reaches her hands across to touch his and goes to speak but once again he proves he's not stupid.

'She's dead, you're going to tell me that she's dead' His eyes are staring at the table, but he raises them slightly to get the confirmation he knows they'll give him. They do and he draws one hand up to his face as if to wipe away tears, but then he inhales deeply, there'll be time for mourning those who can't be helped later, he wants his mom and dad and brother back so he looks at Kono and he starts to speak, haltingly at first of when they were first taken, of Lauren being there one moment and then gone the next, of his family falling apart before his eyes, of his father remaining brave and of the moment he met Danny Williams and Steve McGarrett, of setting little points wherever they ran to mark out where they'd been before and of how they found the fencing.

His voice is quieter as he talks of the moments before his escape, of seeing the head and of Danny shouting for him to run, but gets stronger again as he tells of his escape and of eventually finding the car.

'That's it, that's all I have to tell, I'm sorry'.

'You've nothing to apologise for Nick, I promise' Chin reassures him. 'Hey Nick, you talked of the markings you made and where you escaped and where you ran, if we get some paper for you, you think you can draw us where you were kept and where you escaped and maybe even some kind of map for how you got to the car?'

Neither Nick, nor Kono can see Chin cross his fingers under the table.

Nick looks unsure. 'You think it'll help? I don't really know how I got to the car but I can try, yeah I can try'.

'I'll go get the paper' Kono leaps up and heads out the door, turning back to Nick. 'You hungry?'

He nods and Chin stands up, moving next to him putting his hand on Nick's shoulder. 'You're doing great, kid'.

* * *

Steve's pretty sure they've been past the same area three times, every time he narrows the distance between the trees and to where he hopes he'll find trace of Danny and Nick.

This thought is probably all that's keeping him and Jamie upright. The coughs are back with Jamie with a vengeance and Steve's no slouch in the sounding like a 90 year old stakes right now.

At first the lights confused him as it's night now, he thought it was either floodlights or some other clever lighting but he's worked out it's fireflies, about a million of them but it's not strong enough to be anything other than that and the lights switches all round him constantly, whatever, he's glad for it.

It's as he reaches a triangle of trees that he almost literally falls over the stones in front of him, they're only small stones but he scuffs his shoes on them a little too hard. His eyes narrow as he takes in what's before him and he grabs Jamie's arm, shushing him in case anyone's listening. He gestures for him to wait while he retraces his steps, and sure enough every couple of hundred metres, there are stones in the ground shaped like an arrow and pointing whether to go north, south, east or west.

He almost laughs. Unless Danny's been hiding an outstanding and sudden talent in orientation techniques, he figures they got lucky in the best way imaginable or as much as they ever could in such a circumstance when they were paired up with the Benet boys.

He follows the stone's directions and is back with Jamie.

'You never told me Nick was a venture scout' He grins and though Jamie's not sure why the mood has suddenly lifted, he grins too.

Steve looks down at the remaining stones on the ground, they say to go South East, so they follow.

It takes around twenty minutes till they find what appears to be the last stones but there's nothing around them, nothing obvious anyway so Steve grasps Jamie's arm and points him to the undergrowth behind them while Steve heads in front of them and he finds nothing, just trees and more trees so he heads back to the stones again. There's no sign of Jamie but he can hear him distantly. Then suddenly he hears his breath rasping, panicking so he runs to find him in the undergrowth and he's just wiping the vomit from his face and Steve can understand why as the head with its eyes wide open stare back as insects ravage it to nothing.

He takes a deep breath, wiping at his mouth and pulls on Jamie's arm. 'Come on kid'.

They head back to where they parted before and in the absence of any more clues, they walk on baring South East, there are no more stones, until there's a mound of earth and bits of dried grass and just before the mound of earth, there are finally some stones again and so Steve bends down on one knee clearing way the grass and then digging away the earth and soil before suddenly the earth and soil give way and disintegrate into a hole in the ground.

Steve looks up at Jamie who smiles tentatively.

Steve tries to move his legs into the hole to get a better look but his first attempt fails and they'll be truly screwed if he kicks away through the bottom of the apparent tunnel so he stands up and holds Jamie's hands.

'It's going to be dark, and it'll be claustrophobic, I'll do my best to be right behind you but you gotta move quick while there's still air and get help, okay? You can get help, okay Jamie?'

The kid looks fearfully at the hole in the ground. Really neither of them has any idea what this hole leads to, but right now it's their only hope so he nods. Just as Jamie heads down, he hears Steve tear his t-shirt into two pieces, he wraps one piece round Jamie's mouth, just one small way of protecting him. So small but it's something.

Jamie lowers himself down, Steve looks around him, ties the other piece of material round his own mouth and lowers himself gradually squeezing into the small tunnel. The darkness covers them swiftly.

* * *

Lori Weston is feeling pretty frustrated right now, it appears Carol Sawyer's boyfriend hasn't quite grasped the enormity of the situation as he clumsily tries to flirt with her.

So she tries again. 'Did Carol give you any clue as to where she may be going?'

He moves across the room, he probably thinks the way he moves is sexy, but it's anything but.

'Stop talking about Carol, and tell me all about your sweet self, baby' he puts his arms round her and frankly he's lucky that's not the last thing he does but Lori stops herself from shooting him and calling it justifiable homicide and shouts at him once more.

She thinks she probably pushed it a little far, but he's finally let her into Carol's 'secret office'. Office is an overstatement; it's a cupboard with several boxes and a laptop computer. She pulls the boxes out, there are press cuttings covering the life Carol had before and the deaths of her family members, then cuttings about the murders in Europe and finally of the disappearances of the Benets and the Hills in Hawaii.

She can't shake the feeling there should be more so she picks up the laptop. She walks back into the room where Paul barely acknowledges her, she sits at the table in the kitchen and turns on the computer, and it gets as far as the sign on screen and doesn't allow her any further as it asks for a password.

She sighs. And then Paul says the first useful thing he's probably ever said in his life.

'I go on there for porn, she doesn't know, anyway, the password is Heather'. And it is.

Five minutes later and Lori stares open mouthed at the computer, in a file on the desktop, there are plans and drawings and there's a picture, and it reminds her of the conversation she had earlier. She doesn't know the relevance just yet, she soon will.

She picks up her cell. 'Put me onto Chin or Kono NOW'.

* * *

Number 8 looks at the screens in front of them, of the Benet parents and of Danny Williams, unconscious on the ground, Number 8 stares at the outside where now there's no sign of life. Number 8 wonders if not for the first time, they made a mistake.

Number 8 reaches into the gown, takes a breath and pulls out the picture of Ethan Jefferies, a tear almost betraying them as they stroke it tenderly.

The control was taken away from number 8 far too long ago, it's time to reclaim that control whatever the cost and with that number 8 removes the hood and Carol Sawyer reaches into her trousers, pulls out the tiny transmitting device hoping that the police just this once haven't let her down and heads to face whatever comes next.

* * *

They've been in the tunnel for probably around 20 minutes now, and Steve is doing his best job at encouraging Jamie and so far incredibly it seems to be working. He tells Jamie to take a moment, and they both cough, the lack of air beginning to take its toll. He asks Jamie how he's doing and Jamie grunts out an 'okay, sir' and they start again, they move for five more minutes when suddenly there's light. And right now, Steve feels like that guy out of that movie when he escaped after knocking a hole through the wall with some tiny pieces of stone, yeah Shawshank something.

He chides himself slightly, he's picked up the Danno method of thinking of something completely ridiculous at the most inopportune moment. He smiles at the thought.

They keep heading towards the light, Jamie's raced off at a speed that belies that of a boy on the verge of pneumonia.

The sound he hears as Jamie disappears into the light is not what he expected as there's a strangled gasp, a groan and a low laugh.

Steve's size is normally an asset but as he tries to turn over and shuffle back through the tunnel to where he began, his legs are dragged back towards the light and the sound of laughter and he's far too grateful as the stress of the day tells and he fades to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's as clear as mud in this chapter and I've probably stretched the bounds of credibility even further especially with the fireflies and number 8 wasn't a man after all (sorry for the double-crossing there -hee hee!) but this is H50 after all. Thanks for sticking with this.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All disclaimers and warnings remain the same.

It turns out that Nick Benet isn't just a whizz at finding his way out of the impossible, he's also a fairly impressive artist. Even better he's fast.

As Lori speaks to Kono and she's scribbling fast and putting her thumbs up, and goddamit smiling a little, Chin looks through the window into Steve's office where Nick inspects the largest of all the drawings. He doesn't realise Chin is watching him while he nods at what he's produced in less than 30 minutes and then smiles.

When he looks up and sees Chin smiling back, he looks a little embarrassed. Why, well heaven only knows so Chin walks in the room.

'Brah, you've been one busy boy, may I?' Chin gestures towards the drawings for permission and Nick nods vigorously.

There are 6 drawings. One of the cloaks and gowns that his captors wore, one of the cell where they were kept and Chin resolves to study it in greater detail when the time comes to find Steve, Danny and the others, there are 2 drawings of what appears to be a large circular area surrounded by trees, grass and earth and the other drawing is of Danny, and it's a very accurate likeness about to be hit by what looks like a torso, Danny has 2 trees behind him and in the distance Nick has drawn one of the hooded figures. It's a nightmarish image and hard to believe the kid isn't curled in a ball right now somewhere.

The final two drawings are placed together on the table. 'I had no sellotape' Nick says.

It's a trail of some kind and follows a particular route, Nick has managed to draw in the difference in the ground levels and it's as close to a homemade yet professional map as Chin's ever seen. Somewhere in Chin's mind, there are klaxons sounding and bells ringing, right now they're staying below the surface but with a prod and a push, Chin thinks he'll figure it out soon.

'You did great Nick, well done'. Nick beams.

'It's helped my memory, I'll know when we get to this place, I want to help you get to this place, I'm gonna help you get everyone home' It's a new side to Nick, the fear is gone and Chin smiles.

* * *

He's cold that's the first thing he notices, the second thing is that the fog is still there in his brain but as he opens his eyes then shuts them straight away with the pain, the memory comes back, he's not safely in a hospital with a concerned Cat mopping his brow and offering him all kinds of incentives for getting well soon, they were duped straight into a trap that he fell for and now they're back in it, in great big piles of shit. Fantastic!

At the thought of it not just being him, he looks around him and though it's dark with the only light coming from outside the room in the corridor, it's obvious he's alone. He tries to shout for Jamie but his voice is almost gone, too much coughing, not enough air in the tunnel and a nasty dose of almost pneumonia (well so far anyway) have taken care of that.

So he feels around the room and finds a small piece of what he thinks may be metal of some kind. He reaches for the piping that travels round the room and he takes himself back to much younger times when he first started camping with his school buddies and they taught each other Morse code.

He thinks it's probably futile, as number 1. His brain is so foggy – he's bound to get it wrong and number 2. Even if he gets it right, will Danny really understand what's going on? Mr City Boy himself?

Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained and so he starts tapping. Quietly at first and then with his entire body, he makes more noise.

And suddenly he hears a shout. 'Who's that? Who's that making all the noise?' And he can't help himself but smile stupidly. They may still be in that pile of shit but at least it's beginning to smell a little offensive.

And then the rant starts. 'Given that Jamie is here with me and given that the resident pain in my ass is nowhere to be seen, you've decided to make your presence felt by making my headache worse, well done Steven, well done, trust you to pick Morse code, why don't you use your mouth like normal people, idiot'.

He's about to try to speak again when the footsteps thunder through the corridor, he hears a door opening just a little way away, further footsteps then reach his cell, he takes a deep breath for whatever's about to come, he prays that at least it will happen with Danny.

* * *

Lori's just put the phone down to Kono and she sounded a heck of a lot brighter than the last time before that.

It took some time but she's emailed all she's found on Carol's computer, all that looks helpful to them in Hawaii. She's glad to have helped but can't help feeling like she wants to do more, she feels useless on the mainland, but no, she promised her brother she'd visit him first and god knows she's let him down too many times before so she starts to put away her notebook and cell in her purse when from nowhere, there's a loud bleep and a window pops up on the laptop screen.

'Whoa, what's going on?' She doesn't realise she said it loud enough to bring a bored looking Paul James back into the room.

It's some kind of map, with a dot on it that isn't moving but is flashing frantically in red. She's a little worried it's some kind of self-destruct virus so she tries to close down the laptop somehow when for perhaps the first time in his life, or at least for the first time today, Paul James says something useful.

'Ain't that Hawaii?'

Lori looks at Paul and back at the screen again, she can't yet see it so she stands up and straight after she clenches her fists in a triumphant gesture, she reaches across to Paul kisses him full on the lips and empties out her purse pulling out her cell. It takes too long for Kono to answer but she does.

'Kono, just you wait till I tell you what a genius Carol Sawyer is'.

* * *

They're back in Room D again, facing each other and even in the parlous situation they find themselves in, Danny's smirking and though he looks all kinds of ill, Steve can't resist a small smile.

'Good to see you again babe'

'You too, Danno, you too'.

Danny's about to attempt some serious full on snark when those annoying people in their ridiculous gowns come back in, he rolls his eyes exaggeratedly, Steve knows it's for effect and probably for him. He's missed this. It's been barely a day since he last saw him before now and yet he suddenly feels like there's hope again.

Trust Cruella Da Bitch to spoil it all.

Steve has his head down slightly but when the gun whips into his face, his head is thrown back and Danny winces as the blood explodes from his nose. Yeah, that'll smart tomorrow.

'Hey Barbie, where's Ken?' Danny demonstrates his ability to make enemies hate him even more than they did already.

Even in the pain he feels in his face and goddamit mostly his nose, Steve tries to shake his head at Danny, when that hurts, he does so in his imagination.

She speaks. 'You think you're so cute, and smart, you're really not'.

'Well thank you for that vote of confidence, sweetheart, I'm guessing that's where you and I are the same, huh, why else do you gang of freaks walk round with cloaks and gowns all the time, if not to spare us your freakiness?'

She laughs. 'Keep it up Williams and McGarrett will be dead before we leave the room'.

It's always been the way with Steve and Danny, you can threaten them all you want, they care little for their own safety but threaten their family, friends or the other, and you really have crossed the line. Danny's smart enough to realise he's in no position to make threats himself so glancing across at Steve, he calculates that his buddy is in no state to be on the receiving end of even more physical violence so he shuts up and instead insults her all he can in his head.

'You're not the first cops I've killed, Oh I know you're not dead yet but you will be, I killed three in England, Graham was from there, Graham was my Ken, Mr Williams, note the past tense' She pauses sounding positively cheerful. 'He was always the calmer one, the one who voiced reason, yada yada yada and well I got bored of that so he paid for it and here I am and you two will the fourth and fifth cops to die,'

She stops for a moment and moves over to one of the other figures, nodding her head.

She turns round, moving her hands to reach for the hood. 'Alas, I think you will be the last ones, you will be the last we do this to, but it's been a great journey' she sounds nostalgic, tearful almost.

'At dawn, it ends' She pulls the hood away and reveals herself, she smiles serenely. She looks at the person she's stood next to.

'Begin my people, begin'.

Danny and Steve exchange a glance. This really doesn't sound so good.

'What's the plan then Super Seal, you got any Harry Houdini powder lying round?' At Steve's grim smile. 'Nah, didn't think so'.

* * *

It's times like these that Catherine Rollins is glad she has the friends she has, and so does Steve. Since the two phone calls combined with the maps Nick Benet drew, H50 HQ has been a hive of frantic activity.

In just a few minutes, Chin has drawn the Governor from his bed who has ordered helicopters and a rather large army of HPD officers, cars, dogs and a whole lot more besides.

Nick Benet is sat next to Catherine, chewing on his lip watching in awe at the machinations of a large force of people coming together to prepare to rescue his family and the two newest members of his family, he hopes.

As the last group of officers come through the doors, a bespectacled man arrives wearing a white coat, he looks nervous but even in the hive of activity when Kono notices him, she grins broadly and rushes forward to welcome him.

'Max! Thanks for coming' He beams at her as she ushers him over to Cat and Nick introducing them briefly before excusing herself.

Kono moves back to Chin's side as he busily prepares the computer in front of him, his hands dancing over the screen. H50's main room is large but there's barely room for anyone now and the noise is like a thousand bees buzzing.

Chin nods at Kono who smiles at the Governor who speaks first.

'As you all know, for too long a bunch of murderous individuals have abducted whole families and murdered some of these people, furthermore from what we've learned, they've killed many others on the mainland and in Europe, they hold two more families and two of H50's finest, the information we have now, gives us, no you all the chance to make this island a safer place…good luck, Chin?'

Chin coughs and then presses the button in front of him, two images come up.

'Ladies and gentlemen, these two people are who we believe to be the masterminds behind the kidnapping and murders of all of the people behind us,' he gestures to pictures on the walls around them, too many to be on the whiteboards, their faces are glued to doors. Faces of the young and old, faces they've never seen before and two they have.

'Graham Younger and Hannah Redan – they met at university in Paris, he was the professor, she the student in biology, their career together as criminals began with what was believed at the time to be the disappearance and murder of four of Redan's former friends and they moved onto the UK shortly after where the murder of families began, this carried on in Texas where they killed 6 families, except for one person, Witness K. . In all cases they didn't find every family member's body but given that where they believed they'd been held was burned to the ground each time, this wasn't followed up, Kono?'

Kono takes over 'When the Benet family were taken, we kept pretty quiet about it but some people got to know about it, and it alerted one person in particular' Kono points behind her to one family and one person in particular. 'This is Witness K, real name Heather Carter, known now as Carol Sawyer, unknown to everyone she'd been building up a dossier and files and files of paperwork relating to all the murders, we found her computer which showed that at least two of Hannah Redan's fellow students thought dead were alive, and that in all of the murders that took place, one member of each family was selected to be initiated into what they thought as their gang, those who were convinced enough stayed, the rest were then killed, She contacted one member of the police force when she discovered this, Ethan Jefferies'. She pauses taking a sip of water.

'She gave Ethan all the information she had and he told his superiors who he thought the killers were, it was agreed he'd try to reach the outer circle. Ethan Jefferies hasn't been heard of since, and Carol Sawyer became worried, she somehow and I hope we found out someday got a way into this place but before she left she placed a programme on her computer that when the time was right, she would set off and we would find her'.

Kono presses the button on the computer screen in front of her. A photograph taken on Lori's cell and sent to Kono is blurry but the red dot can be seen. 'We were able to enhance this, and with the help of one of the Benet children, we think we know where they are and we're going to find them'.

* * *

Carol Sawyer wasn't in Room D when it happened, but the word is all around that the woman's finally lost it. It was always going to happen, but she's surprised the blood lust hasn't convinced Redan to continue for longer.

Carol hopes she set off the transmitter early enough. It's all she's lived for all this time, that Redan and Younger would be caught and tried for what they've done, not just to those they've murdered, but all these soulless automatons that walk around with their families, their memories and now their innocence stolen from them.

She knows better than most that she's not faring that much better than any of them but at least this way she has the control back.

So there's one last thing she can do before all hell breaks loose, no actually, make that two. So, she volunteers for feeding time and first of all, she wakes Jamie Benet, she can feel the heat of the fever on him as she supports him, he barely acknowledges her but they walk 10 feet down the corridor where she opens another door and there are sounds of disbelief and then weeping and then finally small sounds of joy. She smiles.

Then reaching into her hood, she pulls the clip from her hair, she walks back up the corridor, places the clip under the water jug, opens the door and very deliberately as she puts the tray down, she spills the jug, she knocks it aside, coughs a little too loudly and she's gone.

She hopes the cops are as good as she's heard they are. As she closes the door behind her, she lifts the hood up to cover her face fully and she starts down the corridor. Behind her there's a cough and a hand on her shoulder.

'Heather Carter, do you have some explaining to do or what?' She closes her eyes, turns around and prepares to meet her fate.

* * *

If Sally Benet ever gets out of this place alive, she will forever thank the angel who delivered one of her children back to her.

She cradles him, fearful though she is of the heat that pours from him, he's back with her and if there's one thing she's able to do its nurse her children.

When he mumbles about Nick and them being split up, she shushes him, she doesn't want to hear bad stuff, she has one child back, and it's a matter of time before she gets them all back.

Ray Benet can just about make out Sally and Jamie in the greyness of their cell. His hands are removed from his ears now, he's smiling though no one can see him, he's thankful they don't see his tears, he hopes that now they've listened to his prayers, they'll listen to just three more. To see Nick, then Lauren and to get out this place again.

He crosses his fingers then his legs, and he hopes. Because apparently hope works.

* * *

Hannah Redan closes the door on the cell, glances at Sawyer's face in the small shutter before slamming it shut. She shakes her head, there's still a lot to do.

She feels some kind of vibration but she has to be imagining it surely. She carries on moving but hears it again, she swears and runs down the corridors until she reaches the blue door, she reaches behind her into the cupboard, pulls out a rifle and opens the door, it's still dark, an hour or so until dawn but the vibration in the ground is now followed by the unmistakable sound in the air, helicopters.

She laughs. So much for waiting until Dawn.

She breathes the air, so fresh, she's so proud of what they've achieved, no what she achieved. She looks around her, she strokes a leaf and marvels at the sight of the fireflies in the darkness. She's lost for a moment and then there's a small cough.

'What do we do now Mother?' She nods to herself. This is her rightful place, to be with her family till the end so she turns to the door, she sees its number 3 and she pulls the hood back and strokes the boy's face. 'Time to sleep, sweetie, time to sleep at last'

She moves past number 3 and to the office, looking around her again for the last time, she moves to the locked cupboard, pulling the key from the pocket inside her trousers and opens it. There is nothing in the cupboard except a lever and an axe, she has to break the seal so she picks up the axe, raises it high and at the fourth attempt, the seal breaks, she pulls the lever down.

She sighs contentedly. And looks at her watch. And waits.

* * *

After the noise the person in the hood and gown made and the pain that's grown in their heads, they shut their eyes at first. Neither Steve nor Danny is hungry.

Steve's coughing has worsened again and Danny's foot, well he's fairly sure that it is a break, maybe it always was.

They've barely said a word in almost an hour when Danny finally decides he's thirsty. He moves his hands towards where the tray is normally left and feels around for the jug, he knows hood guy or lady spilled some but even a tiny bit will help, his hands skim over something that doesn't feel like a jug so he moves onto the rest of the tray and finally finds the jug, there's enough he estimates for two big gulps each and he offers Steve some who mutters his refusal. Danny goes to set the jug down again but it won't sit straight so Danny feels underneath and it's the same thing as before.

He picks it up curious, it's some kind of pin or hair clip. A thought enters his head, lucky, really? Surely not.

He turns to Steve. 'Hey, babe, you feel like being MacGyver and using this hair slide as a way of getting us outta here?'

The bleary responses suddenly turn to lucidity and on his fourth attempt, Steve opens the door. Danny wants to hug him, anyone, even a hooded dude or dudette if they were around but he doesn't. They've some people to get out.

In the corridor as they move, the air is musty and getting worse, and the heat is stifling. Steve pauses for a moment, appears to sniff and then mutters 'Gas, get down'.

Unfortunately, Danny is already on the ground but he doesn't have to take it in fully as his grip on consciousness is waning and as Steve slowly sinks to the floor, his last sight is of Hannah Redan smiling and laughing.

* * *

The abandoned valley on the Kanealole Trail isn't exactly unknown but apparently enough to house a compound of cells and some kind of maze. As Chin and Kono and their army of HPD speed to the valley with 3 helicopters leading the way as though some kind of magical Hawaiian stars, they hope they're there in time.

Jamie thinks he's dreaming. He's in a room with his Mom and Dad, and then Lauren appears and she's smiling at them and beckoning them forward but he's not ready yet so his eyes open, but it's so hard and his lids are so heavy, as he goes on the road towards Lauren, he hears the sound and he thinks 'how great is Lauren, she brought a helicopter along for the journey' and as he reaches her hand, his eyes close fully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots more to come. I had ‘fun’ trying to find information about abandoned areas in Oahu on the internet, yuck! The location I came up with was the best I could do. Sorry! 
> 
> I hope this is okay, thanks for reading. x


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rescue begins...smoothly? What do you think? 
> 
> Disclaimers/warnings as before

The noise of the sirens and the helicopters in the distance wake up the sleepy wildlife, several birds see the helicopter coming and fly off as one as soon as they realise it's not a remarkably large member of their own species.

There are 15 HPD cars with at least two cops in each car, several vans and then Chin and Kono. There are enough ambulances there that Kono wonders what they'd do if a big accident happened in the main city. There's another three units, just as a precaution was the thinking. Having them there makes it all a little too real now. The hope is they won't be needed.

Dawn is about to break and daylight is fast approaching, Kono looks through the window at the helicopters ahead. They're a couple of minutes away from where they'll then need to head out on foot.

She's not the praying type but god right now she does exactly that with all her heart and soul.

* * *

Chin is glad of the fact that he has driving to concentrate on, he steals a glance at his cousin and takes in the way she's chewing her hair, a Kono tell-tale sign of anxiety.

Chin Ho Kelly is not one to feel fear or nerves easily. He's done some outlandishly dangerous stuff in the past, probably most of them with Five-0 but in most of those occasions, all that was at stake was his own survival. He's now hoping against what some people would say is ridiculous futile hope that his friends are alive, and that the remaining Benet's are too.

He stops, sets the car to park, turns the keys and pulls them out the ignition. He mutters a little prayer under his breath and looks across at Kono, she's got a vest on now, she nods purposefully at him and he winks back.

Showtime.

* * *

The hand moves slightly, fluttering in the air, it reaches for his face but never quite reaches it. He sighs a little, somewhere in his brain he's aware of a shadow standing over him, certainly not a shadow he recognises so he protests a little as the shadow blocks any light and starts to pull him away, he tries to speak but the words won't come and soon the gas takes its effect again and he slips away.

* * *

The one thing Chin was always at pains to express ahead of this rescue was the need to learn lessons from the past failures in the UK and the mainland. So, no rag-tag half assed attempt at rescue is this, there's Chin and Kono, plus 10 pairs of cops backing them up, there's guys with masks, riot gear and every kind of gear a cop may need, and then those other guys. Chin swallows.

The helicopters above have infra-red and as they've reached the destination already, nothing has been left to chance but for all this, he remains fearful despite Nick having been with Danny recently, and Steve not that long before doesn't mean that they'll still be alive now. All they have to hope for is a miracle.

In the headset he's wearing, he hears one of the helicopter pilots state that they're just feet away from the location and that they can make out forms in the outside of the compound, alive or dead who knows.

Chin looks ahead of him and reaches for the small binoculars and sure enough just ahead, is a building that appears sunken into the ground, it's colours blend in well with the rest of the landscape, it's actually painted in the color of grass and there is fencing surrounding a small part of it whereas the rest appears unbreachable.

He hears the footsteps behind him and Kono is alongside him. The look of anxiety has been replaced by steely determination.

'Cuz?'

He nods and they move as one toward the fence.

* * *

She grunts with the effort, the gas mask while beating all the effects of the gas restricts her ability to see properly and it's hot under there, there is also the dead weight she's dragging along. He may be slim but she hadn't accounted for the weight of muscle and sinew. Whatever, it's worth the effort now and it'll be worth it when they see them both, she can't wait to see their faces.

* * *

Officer 'Mally' Malapua cuts through the wire fence, surprisingly not electrified, and lowers the cutters. He doesn't discard them yet, who knows what they'll be confronted with yet. He stands to the side, stowing them away and his colleagues move through the small hole led at the front by Chin Ho Kelly and flanked at the back by Kono Kalakaua. They're joined by several teams of medics who also wear vests and carry their lifesaving equipment should they need it and four guys from the vans who they sincerely hope they don't need.

They move in formation taking in the trees, looking around them for the way to the building while at the same time looking outside for any signs of life or attempted escape.

Chin turns around for a moment instructing 4 teams of 2 to stay outside and look for the bodies that the helicopters believed they'd picked up on.

This leaves 6 teams of 2 plus Kono and Chin to find the building. It's soon clear that the outdoor compound is like some kind of maze, but eventually and with the assistance of one helicopter they locate the building, it takes another few minutes to locate a door, it's blue and there's no easy way of getting inside so Chin signals for Mally to head up front again.

The door is heavy and wire cutters obviously won't work so Mally reaches for the axe with the crowbar handle and he begins the task to open the door.

It's done within 3 minutes and soon the door is open. They each put a gas mask on, better to be safe than sorry after all. They move through together, the medics and the four guys stay outside for now.

There's little sign of life as they sweep left then right and forward, there appears to be nothing of note on this floor, that is until they reach the end of one corridor, on the left hand side is a door and at the very end of the corridor is another, Chin signals to them to split up, he will take the door on the left and Kono is to go with the others through the other.

Chin prepares to have to force the door and yet it opens with ease. As they move through, there are a number of TV screens, most are just grey, black and white fuzzy lines, but there are 3 which are still on, one is of the outside and Chin can see the medics outside the door, another shows an empty corridor and then the other, well Chin's not sure, it appears to be outside but he has no idea where.

He turns around, there's nothing else in here except wires, he's tapped on the shoulder by one of the HPD who points out the cupboard so Chin moves to it and is able to open it easily, the ease of access to everything except the door leaves him feeling a little nervous.

As he's about to open it, he hears his cousin's voice in his headset, it sounds scared and urgent and she's asking for the guys they hoped they wouldn't need to use.

He wants so badly to go to where they are but knows it's out of his hands now. He turns back to the cupboard, there's nothing there except a lever that appears to be on the on position, whatever that means. As he goes to shut the cupboard door, he notices it, a tiny clock, it's in counting down mode, 53.39 then 38, 37, 36 etc.,

He thinks back to the mainland and the UK and knows its bad news whatever it is.

There's a noise outside the room and it's the four CDC guys, speaking into their headsets wearing suits and barking orders to those waiting back at the vans as they move past. One stops as he notices Chin. 'You're Kelly right, tell your people to look for signs of any gases, any bottles, containers or anything, we need to know what we're dealing with' Chin nods and he doesn't even have to ask as the 6 guys with him fan out and back up to the corridor. He repeats the order to the guys outside and then pressing the channel for Kono alone. 'Hang in there Cuz, they're on their way'.

* * *

As Kono and her team went through the door and down the stairs, another corridor lay ahead but in the distance was another door, like the kind you get in prisons, pretty apt really. She starts to speed up and there's a panel on the side which looks as though the glass covering has been removed from and there's a button, she shrugs and presses it and the door moves open slowly, as it opens it reveals a body, she moves forward and as she reaches it, she'd recognise that hair anywhere, it's a lot less tidy and more dirty than normal of course but as she moves toward him, she lowers herself to him and goes to turn him over, his eyes are red and he's not conscious, she reaches for the pulse in his neck, there's a pulse but it's weak and thready.

She wants to remove her mask to talk to him but knows she can't.

She's about to move him into the recovery position when a noise around her alerts her. The officers are attempting to make their way into two cells, maybe Steve will be in one of them, as she looks through the viewing slat, she doesn't see him but she barks to the others to get in there and again bafflingly as with everything so far within this building, access is easy, maybe they were just caught unawares.

In one cell, the remaining members of the Benet family are all unconscious, Sally Benet is unconscious with Jamie sprawled out on her legs, Ray Benet is in the corner.

As they move nearer to them, the irritation around the eyes is there again and as they each reach for the pulse in their necks, the results similar as for Danny except for Jamie whose pulse seems weaker than them all.

In the distance, Kono hears her name and she heads out to the corridor and to the cell opposite, there's one body and it's a woman, she's wearing a cloak but there's no hood and as she nears her, she realises who it is.

One of the cops leans forward feeling her neck, he turns to Kono and nods.

She turns around ready to speak to Chin when all hell breaks loose. There's a cry and she turns back to the other cell where one of the HPD has removed his mask in an apparent attempt to help Jamie Benet. But he's scratching at his face and crying with pain and there is red all around his eyes, he scratches at his body and she can see he's panicking so she tries to calm him.

The other guy goes to remove his mask and so she screams loudly at him to stop. To her surprise he does but all the while Jim Boyle loses his hold on anything except terror and he falls to the ground, Kono absentmindedly scratches at her throat and a cough comes out, suddenly it's hard to breath and she feels herself slipping.

So she manages 'CDC, help NOW' before she slumps to the floor.

* * *

She pulls him up the final rung of the ladder, heaving him over the edge and to the ground where she lets out a relieved breath. She removes her mask, gulping with relief as she takes in the fresh air.

She can't see the helicopters anymore but she can still hear them. Light is increasing with dawn now risen and she can see there's a commotion outside as people in suits run through the compound and into the building.

She smiles, pleased with herself and the effects. She looks at McGarrett, she's surprised he's not woken yet, maybe the gas was a little stronger than she'd thought.

She pats him on the cheek and stands up heading across the roof to a bag she left there before, she retrieves the bottle of water and drinks it, grabbing the bagel and heading back to where McGarrett is lying.

She hunkers down and rests her head on her jumper which she's taken off. She'll wait as long as she needs, they'll come.

* * *

Chin follows the corridor as far as it goes in the other direction, nothing, no sign of any rooms and he's confused, unless they're all downstairs he wonders where is everyone? There's no time to debate that yet so he's about to turn round when he trips on something on the ground and falls to the side, a panel in the wall gives way and though there's nothing there, it makes him think so he looks behind him at the end of the corridor and in the panel at the end, he knocks it, nothing. So he tries with the one next to it, nothing again, he's wasting time he knows but he tries for a third and final time, and this time it crashes through and reveals stairs up, stairs down and a door to the outside.

He can't be in all places at once so making a quick choice, he heads outside.

* * *

Officer Bracha Mahelona was initially pretty jealous when she got the outside search rather than inside, at the sounds of the commotion inside, she's now pretty grateful.

She's been going round in what feels like circles for too long now, swiping at the leaves and the undergrowth when she notices something to the right of her, as she nears them she realises it's a pair of eye glasses. She crouches down and with her gloved hands picks them up, she places them back on the ground as she looks around her, she makes her way further into the undergrowth, taking out her piece just in case, she sees it after a few more seconds, a leg and she wonders if this will be the first dead body she's seen, hell she's only been in the job a month but it was inevitable really.

As she moves forward she realises the body is wearing a gown then as she sweeps at the undergrowth near his head and removes the hood, she has to reach into her trouser pocket and looks at the picture, she looks back at his face, and then back at the picture.

She feels for her the transmission button on the radio and speaks.

'This is Officer Mahelona outside, I've found Graham Younger and yeah well, umm, he's not going anywhere anytime soon'

* * *

Kono never actually lost consciousness, she was able to put the gas mask back on straightaway but she's in a world of discomfort and as she takes in the scene around her with guys in big suits and in the distance sees some kind of tunnel being created, she feels like she's unconscious and in dreamland or the set of some stupid movie about monkeys infecting everyone.

She lifts herself up and sits against one of the cell doors and sees around her, people being worked on and sees as one is taking into the corridor and stripped and covered in water. Her turn soon she suspects.

Danny lies still about 6 feet away and she wants to shake him as it's so unlike him to be this quiet, but there's someone with him so she resists.

One of the CDC guys goes past and he stoops next to her 'Are you okay, having trouble breathing?' he asks.

Kono shakes her head. 'I'm fine, what's happened, what is it, what are you doing?' she gestures.

'We have no idea, we're hoping your colleagues will shed some light, right now we're preparing a containment corridor where we'll remove the source of irritation on skin and strip everyone, we can still work on those that need lifesaving treatment but right now we have to make it safe enough for us to do it'

'Thanks' is all she says and he hurries off.

'Wikiwiki cuz' she mutters under her breath. 'Just wikiwiki'

* * *

Chin hears Officer Mahelona's communication. So Younger is dead, that leaves Redan and an unknown number of cloaked people still to be found. He's tried to remain cut off in his head from what he's heard downstairs but it's clear it's potentially bad and it makes their search more urgent.

He's heading around the side of the building when he hears a cough from somewhere. And then a sharp 'Shhhh' sound. It's not come from the same level as him, it sounded as though it came from upwards so he starts looking up and it's there that he sees the steps and they're heading up to the roof.

He has a choice to make, he's alone but he's armed and he's confident he can fight anything right now, he's that pissed and angry by all this that's happened and still happening so he ascends the stairs.

He's just at the top and about to raise his head over the top when he hears the sound of a gun being readied to fire, he raises his head slowly and there are two figures. He mutters 'Oh man' to himself as he takes in Hannah Redan gripping a barely conscious Steve with one arm and in the other holding a gun to his head.

'Welcome Officer Kelly, welcome, why don't you come join us?'

* * *

Officer Hale is running through the grass as he yells into his headset 'I got the stuff, I know what it is'

He found the container right by where all the other rubbish had seemingly been kept, the smell will bother him for days as there was food waste, body waste and some other kind of waste which he has a fair idea of but doesn't want to think about now.

He's met at the door by one of the CDC and he hands the empty container across. The guy takes it from him. Arnold Walker glances at it, nodding to himself. At least they know what they're dealing with now. He's met at the door to downstairs by his boss, Tim Dawbin and he mouths the word.

Dawbin thanks him, turns around and shouts out 'its fentanyl, we've prepared for this, now go'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple of things: Wikiwiki is Hawaiian for hurry, or hurry up.
> 
> Fentanyl is what is believed was used to attempt a successful end to the Russian theatre siege where so many died though no one's sure if it was plain fentanyl or a derivative of the stuff. The slight delay for this chapter was as a result of trying to pick a gas so been reading a lot on the CDC website which incidentally is fascinating…some of the effects of fentanyl I've sped up a little bit and exaggerated for my own bit of licence but it remains essentially true to the CDC advice and don't panic it's not always lethal…not always…!.


End file.
